nicipal 

BOOK 


OIJNTY  CENTRAX  COMMITTEE 
SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC  PARTY 


n 


Mii-  w 


frig  the  bo.p,ir»ess  c*-f  tl 


MilAvaukee  Municipal 
Campaign  Book 

1912 

Social- Democratic 
Party 


CARL  D.  THOMPSON 
FERDINAND  REHFELD 
MAX  GRASS 

Committee 


Price  25  Cents 


Published  by  Order  of  the 


I  County  Central  Committee  of  the 

!    Social-Democratic  Party,  Milwaukee  County,  Wis. 


20 


THE  CITY  GREAT  AND  STRONG. 


What  makes  the  city  great  and  strong? 
Not  architecture's  graceful  strength, 
Not  factories'  extended  length, 

But  men  who  see  the  civic  wrong, 

And  give  their  lives  to  make  it  right 

And  turn  its    darkness  into  light. 

What  makes  a  city  full  of  power? 

Not  wealth's  display  or  titled  fame, 
Not  fashion's  loudly  boasted  claim, 

But  women  rich  in  virtue's  dower, 

Whose  homes  though  humble  still  are  great 

Because  of  service  to  the  State. 

What  makes  a  city  men  can  love? 

Not  things  that  charm  the  outward  sense, 

Nor  gross  display  of  opulence, 
But  right,  the  virrong  cannot  remove. 
And  truth  that  faces  civic  fraud 
And  smites  it  in  the  name  of  God.      * 

This  is  a  city  that  shall  stand, 

A  light  upon  a  nation's  hill, 

A  voice  that  evil  cannot  still, 
A  source  of  blessing  to  the  land; 
Its  strength  not  brick,  nor  stone,  nor  wood, 
But  Justice,  Love  and  Brotherhood. 

— Selected. 


Milwaukee  City  Hall 

3 


OUR  CITY 

A  Few  Milwaukee  Facts  and  Figures 


Population — 380,000  (Twelfth  largest  city). 

Area — 14,326  acres  or  22  1-4  square  miles. 

Park  Area — 918  acres. 

PubliclLibrary — 906,281  volumes. 

Street    Car    Mileage — 140    miles;     interurban,     tributary 
to  Milwaukee,  200  miles. 

Public  School  Property — $4,43a,000. 

There  are  twenty-eight  cities  in  the  United  States  which 
have  a  population  of  over  200,000  people. 

Milwaukee  ranks  as  follows: 

1  Area 24th 

2  Population 12th 

3  Assessed  Valuation 12th 

4  Per  Capita  Wealth 12th 

5  Bonded  Debt 18th 

6  Rate  of  Taxation 21st 

7  Annual  Expenditures 15th 

8  Per  Capita  Expense 18th 

8  Per  Capita   Tax 14th 


Record  of  Steady,  Commercial  and 
Industrial  Progress 

Milwaukee  Gained  819  New  Firms  in  1912 

Figures  taken  from  reports  of  Merchants  and  Manu- 
facturers, Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Sentinel's  Trade 
Reviews  for  year  1909,  1910  and  1911,  completely  disprove 
the  charge  that  the  Social-Democratic  Administration 
has  caused  a  panic  or  commercial  depression. 

NO.  OF  ESTABLISHMENTS. 

1909. 3,989 

1910 4,126 

1911 4,230 

NO.  OF  EMPLOYES. 

1909 105,919 

1910 109,216 

1911 114,072 

WAGES  PAID. 

1909 $62,057,934 

1910 65,853,152 

1911 68,160,368 

AMOUNT  OF  CAPITAL  EMPLOYED. 

1909 $229,864,362 

1910 236,558,011 

1911 250,239,222 

VALUE  OF  YEAR'S  PRODUCTION. 

1909 $323,354,823 

1910 329,526,607 

1911 355,320,396 

BANK  CLEARINGS. 

1909 $602,880,459 

1910 658,002,572 

1911 . 700,103,538 

POST  OFFICE   RECEIPTS. 

1909 $1,500,000 

1910. 1,630,000 

1911 1,699,332 

BUILDING   RECORD— CITY  AND  SUBURBAN. 

1909 $16,485,440 

1910. 15,169,939 

1911 .    17,810,269 

They  all  agree. 

The  city  is  doing  nicely — thank  you. 

5 


A  WORD 


TO   YOU— MR.   VOTER, 

TO   YOU— THE    PEOPLE    OF    MILWAUKEE 


We  would  like  to  have  you  read  this  book'et. 

It  is  the  voice  of  labor. 

The  working  men  and  the  working  women  of^Mil- 
waukee  have  paid  for  it. 

The  Social- Democratic  party  has  published  it. 

You  are  not  afraid  of  the  truth. 

You  ought  to  know  all  about  your  city  government 
— w^hat  it  has  done — what  it  has  not  done. 

We  tell  you  that  the  old  party  capitalistic  papers — 
and  that  means  every  paper  in  Milwaukee  except  The 
Milwaukee  Leader — have  steadily  misrepresented  the 
work  of  the  Social- Democrats  in  the_Milwaukeeniu- 
nicipal  government. 

They  have  told  things  that  are  not  true.^TheyJhave 
concealed  things  that  the  people  ought  to  know.  They 
have  distorted   the  facts. 

Here  we  bring  you  the  truth. 

We,  the  working  people  of  Milwaukee. 

We  who  built  Milwaukee.  We  who  feed  the  city. 
We  vho  clothe  it.  We  who  have  built  its  homes.  We 
w^ho  have  borne  and  reared  its  children.  We  who  have 
built  its  schools,  its  libraries,  factories,  its  stores,  its 
shops,  its  engines — and  run  them. 

We  speak  to  you  here. 

The  appeal   of  labor. 

Hear  us. 

Read. 


Where  We  Stand 

THE  PLATFORM 

Adopted  by  Referendum  Vote  by  the  Social-Democratic 
Party  of  Milwaukee  County,  February,  1912 


Social-Democracy  has  achieved  a  tremendous  suc- 
cess in  Milwaukee. 

It  has  not  only  given  this  city  the  best  administra- 
tion it  ever  had :  its  work  has  challenged  the  attention 
and  interest  of  the  nation. 

Not  a  single  one  of  the  dire  calamities  so  loudly 
predicted  by  our  enemies  has  come  to  pass. 

Holding  steadily  a  goal  that  lies  beyond  the  range 
of  municipal  government,  the  administration  has,  nev- 
ertheless, addressed  itself  with  all  diligence  to  the  solu- 
tion of  the  immediate  problems  of  the  people. 

Platform  Pledges  Kept 

The  Social-Democratic  party  has  kept  faith  with  the 
people.  It  has  kept  every  platform  pledge,  carrying 
out  those  which  were  possible  under  present  legislation 
and  the  limited  degree  5f  self-government  which  the 
city  enjoys,  and  fighting  steadily  for  all  the  others. 

An  Honest  Municipal  Government 

In  contrast  to  the  wretched  and  disgraceful  records 
of  past  administrations,  the  Social-Democratic  party 
has  given  Milwaukee  an  honest  municipal  government. 
Graft  and  boodle,  bribery  and  political  jobbery  are  a 
thing  of  the  past  in  Milwaukee.  Social-Democracy  has 
put  them  out  of  business.  This  is  conceded  upon  every 
hand. 

Efficient  Municipal  Grovemment 

But  the  administration  does  not  base  its  claim  upon 
honesty  alone.  It  has  given  the  city  the  most  efficient 
government  it  has  ever  had.  It  found  the  city  with  a 
$216,000  deficit ;  it  finishes  its  first  term  with  a  surplus. 
It  found  the  city  budget  a  loose,  disorderly  bunch  of 


papers ;  it  has  inaugurated  a  scientific  and  businesslike 
budget.  It  found  the  city,  a  $40,000,000  corpor action, 
doing  business  without  an  inventory.  It  has  introduced 
a  thorough  system  of  inventory  and  property  account- 
ability. It  found  the  city  issuing  long-time  bonds  for 
short-time  improvements  and  stopped  the  practice.  In 
short,  it  has  established  the  credit  of  the  city  upon  such 
a  firm  basis  that  its  bonds  sell  more  readily  than  ever 
before  in  its  history. 

Reorganization  of  Public  Works  Department 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  new  administration  was 
the  reorganization  of  the  department  of  public  works. 
The  old  three-men  commission  was  abolished  and  one 
commissioner  put  in  charge.  Plans  are  under  way  to 
make  the  police  department  a  crime  prevention  rather 
than  a  crime  detective  force ;  and  the  fire  department  a 
fire  prevention  rather -than  a  fire  extinction  force. 

Street  Construction 

Early  in  its  first  year  the  administration  uncovered 
and  stopped  a  long  standing  paving  graft,  that  had 
been  going  on  for  more  than  fifteen  years,  under  Re- 
publican and  Democratic  administrations  alike. 

This  one  feature  of  the  work  of  the  Social-Demo- 
cratic administration  saved  the  people  of  this  city 
more  than  $400,000  in  a  single  year ;  and,  what  is  more, 
the  resulting  economy  and  efficiency  enable  the  admin- 
istration to  get  the  problem  of  street  construction  and 
repair  work  in  hand. 

Labor  Measures 

The  Social-Democratic  administration  is  a  working 
class  administration. 

It  established  by  ordinance  the  eight-hour  day  for 
all  public  employes  and  the  trade  union  scale  of  wages 
for  skilled  workmen.  It  raised  the  wages  of  all  city 
laborers  from  $1.75  to  $2  per  day.  It  has  consistently 
adhered  to  its  policy  of  purchasing  union  made 
products. 


It  helped  to  settle  the  garment  workers'  strike.  It 
secured  an  additional  two  days  ''off"  for  policemen 
each  month  and  readjusted  the  hours  of  labor  for  the 
bridgetenders  and  inaugurated  a  system  of  factory  in- 
spection. 

And  finally,  in  co-operation  with  trade  unions,  com- 
mercial organizations  and  the  state  government,  the 
administration  has  secured  the  establishment  of  a  free 
employment  agency,  to  do  what  can  be  done  under  the 
capitalist  system  to  relieve  the  unemployed. 

Our  Record 

In  spite  of  the  opposition  and  obstructive  tactics 
played  by  old  party  politicians  in  the  council,  in  the 
state  legislature,  and  even  the  courts,  the  administration 
has  built  the  first  public  lavatory  in  the  city ;  it  is  con- 
structing an  electric  lighting  plant ;  is  acquiring  a  mu- 
nicipal stone  quarry ;  building  a  municipal  hospital;  has 
consolidated  the  fire  and  police  alarm  systems,  and  is 
adding  thereto  a  city  telephone  service. 

It  has  encouraged  the  vigorous  enforcement  of  the 
weights  and  measures  ordinance,  and  has  also  encour- 
aged the  work  of  the  smoke  inspector  for  the  elimina- 
tion of  the  smoke  nuisance. 

It  has  extended  and  increased  the  number  of  band 
concerts  given  in  the  parks;  inaugurated  a  series  of 
popular  Auditorium  concerts,  and  otherwise  encour- 
aged the  development  of  wholesome  public  recreation 
and  amusement. 

It  has  established  a  bureau  of  efficiency  and  econ- 
omy and  has  created  various  non-salaried  commissions 
to  assist  the  city  in  the  solution  of  many  of  its  public 
problems. 

Work  of  the  County  Administration 

In  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  county 
government,  the  Social-Democratic  party  has  been 
equally  successful.  For  the  first  time  the  county  and 
city  administrations  work  together  in  complete  co- 
operation to  one  common  end.     The  county  administra- 


tion  has  completely  abolished  the  fee  system  in  all  de- 
partments under  its  control,  thus  turning  thousands  of 
dollars  into  the  county  treasury,  which  formerly  went 
into  the  pockets  of  the  officials;  has  established  the 
custom  of  securing  to  the  county  interest  money  on  all 
deposits ;  has  introduced  new  and  up-to-date  methods  of 
accounting  and  purchases;  improved  methods  of  keep- 
ing records  and  orders,  and  an  inventory  of  public 
property.  In  the  collection  of  delinquent  personal  taxes 
especial  efficiency  was  shown  in  the  sheriff's  depart- 
ment, and  $5,000  was  saved  by  applying  proper  business 
methods  to  the  feeding  of  the  prisoners. 

In  the  register  of  deeds'  office  an  entire  new  set  of 
tract  indices  was  worked  out  without  extra  help  or  cost 
to  the  county,  thus  effecting  a  saving  of -between  $8,000 
and  $10,000,  and  in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of 
the  house  of  correction  notable  improvements  were 
effected,  including  the  establishment  of  a  farm  on  which 
the  prisoners  are  employed  under  modern,  scientific 
management,  and  where  the  products  raised  contributed 
largely  toward  reducing  the  expenses  of  the  institution. 

In  the  coroner's  department  over  $5,000  has  been 
saved  by  appointing  physicians  as  assistants  instead  of 
engaging  outside  service,  and  special  attention  to  in- 
dustrial and  traffic  accidents  has  shown  negligence  on 
the  part  of  the  companies  in  nearly  50  per  cent  of  the 
cases,  where  before  it  was  not  shown  in  a  single  case. 

The  county  board  established  the  Milwaukee  County 
School  of  Agriculture  and  Domestic  Economy,  affording 
opportunity  to  500  students  for  the  study  of  the  physi- 
cal and  economic  conditions  of  suburban  and  rural  life. 

OUR  LOCAL  PROGRAM 

Home  Rule 

The  Social-Democratic  party  has  kept  up  its  fight 
for  home  rule  for  Milwaukee.  The  biUs  which  we  pre- 
sented to  the  legislature  to  empower  us  to  establish 
municipal  plumbing  and  loan  departments,  also  munici- 
pal lodging,  ice  and  slaughter  houses,  were  killed  by 

10 


the  combined  opposition  of  the  Republicans  and  Demo- 
crats. But  our  fight  for  them  will  be  continued  until 
successful. 

Our  common  council  also  presented  to  the  state 
legislature  a  constitutional  amendment  providing  home 
rule  for  cities.  This  was  passed  in  a  modified  form. 
The  next  legislature  and  the  people  must  indorse  it 
before  it  becomes  effective.  The  state  legislature  also 
passed  a  law  granting  limited  authority  to  the  people 
of  this  city  to  amend  its  charter.  This  law,  being  of 
doubtful  validity,  will  soon  be  passed  upon  by  the 
supreme  court. 

As  soon  as  our  home  rule  rights  are  clearly  estab- 
lished we  shall  proceed  to  secure  such  changes  in  our 
charter  as  are  necessary  to  enable  the  city  government 
to  carry  out  the  local  demands  of  this  platform. 

Taxation 

The  attempt  of  the  dishonest  politicians  to  make  an 
issue  of  the  question  of  taxation  is  simply  hypocritical 
pretense.  It  has  always  been  their  practice  to  grind  the 
poor  and  favor  the  rich. 

We  condemn  the  last  assessment  made  under  the 
supervision  of  the  previous  tax  commissioner,  as  most 
unjust  and  unfair.  Millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  prop- 
erty in  the  city  has  escaped  taxation,  as  the  public 
records  show,  with  the  consequent  overburdening  of 
the  small  property  owner.  The  next  assessment  will  be 
under  the  direction  of  the  newly  appointed  Social- 
Democratic  tax  commissioner.  . 

We  pledge  ourselves  to  continue  our  efforts  to  place 
on  the  assessment  roll  all  taxable  property,  and  to  make 
the  big  interests  pay  their  full  share  of  taxes. 

The  re-election  of  the  Social-Democratic  administra- 
tion will  insure  the  co-operation  and  support  of  all 
departments  of  municipal  government  to  this  end. 

City  Finances 

In  order  that  the  city's  finances  may  be  handled  to 


advantage  we  demand  that  it  be  given  the  same  rights 
as  are  enjoyed  by  private  corporations. 

The  city  should  also  have  the  right  to  raise  money 
on  its  own  bonds  and  mortgage  certificates.  This  can 
be  done  by  placing  them  with  the  state  treasnrer  as 
security  and  opening  savings  deposit  accounts  in  the 
city  treasurer's  office.  The  city  could  thus  borrow  di- 
rectly from  the  people,  giving  them  the  best  of  security, 
and  at  the  same  time  effecting  a  saving  of  at  least  1  per 
cent  in  interest,  which  means  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  a  year  on  the  present  basis. 

The  city  debt  commission  should  also  have  the  right 
to  purchase  or  discount  certificates  of  the  department 
of  public  works  and  bonds  issued  to  contractors  for 
street  construction  whenever  it  can  be  done  with  profit  ■ 
to  the  city.  The  city  should  also  have  the  first  right  to 
purchase  tax  certificates  for  non-payment  of  taxes  and 
the  right  to  use  the  profits  which  it  makes  for  the 
establishment  of  municipal  enterprises. 

The  careful  management  of  the  city  finances  along 
the  lines  mentioned  above  could  be  made  to  yield  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  of  revenue  per  year. 

Better  Homes  and  City  Planning 

The  city  shall  continue  to  annex  and  incorporate 
reasonable  territory  in  addition  to  its  present  area— 
the  same  to  be  surveyed  and  platted  as  far  as  possible 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  insure  healthful  and  esthetic 
conditions— for  homes,  factories,  schools  and  play- 
grounds. But  the  addition  of  new  territory  to  a  city 
does  not  in  itself  solve  the  problem  of  congestion.  That 
cannot  be  solved  until  the  land  problem  is  under  con- 
trol and  a  comprehensive  city  plan  evolved  that  will 
provide  proper  housing,  segregation  of  commercial, 
manufacturing  and  domestic  activities,  transportation 
by  water  and  rail,  neighborhood  centers'  and  travel- 
ways. 

To  this  end  the  present  administration  has  sought 
and  secured  enabling  legislation ;  a  land  commission  has 
been  appointed  and  our  representatives  in  the  county 


government,  co-operating  with  the  city  administration, 
have  secured  the  appointment  of  a  highway  commis- 
sioner, and  the  work  is  actually  under  way. 

Direct  Employment 

We  pledge  ourselves  to  continue  the  fight  for  the 
abolition  of  the  contract  system  in  all  public  work. 
Such  work  can  be  done  better  and  more  economically 
by  direct  employment  of  the  workers  by  the  city  at  an 
eight-hour  day  and  a  fair  union  wage. 

Dangerous  Grade  Crossings 

We  pledge  ourselves  to  continue  the  vigorous  fight 
to  abolish  dangerous  grade  crossings. 

For  Personal  Liberty— Against  Vice 

Wholesome  recreation  and  relaxation  is  the  best 
antidote  for  immorality. 

The  Social-Democratic  party  does  not  intend  to  cur- 
tail the  few  amusements  and  places  of  recreation  that 
capitalism  has  left  the  working  class.  The  saloon  is 
still  the  proletarian's  clubhouse.  But  we  demand  that 
our  city  shall  protect  youth  and  combat  vice.  At  the 
same  time  we  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  intemper- 
ance and  prostitution  are  a  part  of  the  capitalist  system 
and  will  entirely  disappear  only  as  the  cause,  capital- 
ism, disappears. 

Meanwhile  we  stand  for  the  development  of  oppor- 
tunities for  wholesome  recreation  and  public  amuse- 
ments. We  favor  the  wider  use  of  the  schools,  parks, 
public  playgrounds.  Auditorium  concerts,  social  cen- 
ters and  neighborhood  clubs  to  this  end. 

Public  Health 

The  Social-Democratic  administration  recognizes 
public  health  as  a  great  natural  resource  of  the  people. 
It  has  greatly  extended  the  activities  of  the  health  de- 
partment and  will  continue  to  lay  special  stress  upon 
all  health  measures. 


Public  Markets 

The  administration  has  appointed  a  market  commis- 
sion to  work  out  plans  for  a  system  of  public  markets. 

Sewerage  and  Water  Departments 

We  advocate  the  consolidation  of  the  sewer  and 
water  departments  and  propose  that  the  profits  from 
the  water  department  shall  be  used  for  the  reconstruc- 
tion and  maintenance  of  the  sewerage  system. 

Ownership  by  the  People  of  Milwaukee 
We  here  reiterate  our  demand  for  the  ownership 
and  operation  of  all  local  public  utilities. 

The  Great  Issue— The  Trust  Problem 
But  greater  than  all  these  matters,  and  more  vital 
to  the  welfare  of  the  people,  is  the  problem  of  the  cost 
of  living  and  labor  conditions. 

To  an  ever  increasing  number  of  people  the  securing 
of  a  livelihood  is  becoming  more  and  more  precarious. 
The  cost  of  living  has  reached  such  a  point  that  the 
average  worker's  wife  finds  it  wellnigh  impossible  to 
keep  the  family  warm,  fed  and  clothed  with  the  meager 
weekly  earnings  of  her  husband. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  power  of  entrenched  and 
privileged  wealth  is  growing  each  day,  until  a  small 
number  of  capitalists  have  it  in  their  power  to  decide 
how  much  meat  and  how  much  bread  we  shall  eat ;  how 
much  we  shall  spend  for  coal,  and  how  much  for  gas ; 
how  well  or  how  poorly  we  shall  be  clothed  and  housed ; 
what  kind  of  furniture  we  are  permitted  to  use ;  and  in 
what  kind  of  a  coffin  we  are  to  be  buried.  They  can 
do  this  by  fixing  the  price  of  everything. 

The  Trust  Question  Both  a  Local  and  National  Issue 

Moreover,  every  trust  and  monopoly  affects  the  cost 
of  living  and  controls  the  necessities  of  life,  both  na- 
tionally and  locally.  This  is  the  case  with  the  meat 
trust,  the  ice  trust,  the  gas  trust  and  the  coal  trust.  It 
is  also  the  case  with  our  local  public  utilities,  which 

14 


form  a  part  of  the  gigantic  system  of  national  public 
service  trusts,  as  our  local  telephone  system,  which  has 
merged  with  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company; 
the  street  car  company,  the  electric  light  and  gas  com- 
pany, all  of  which  are  now  a  part  of  the  North  Ameri- 
can Securities  trust. 

The  trust  question,  therefore,  must  be  met  locally  as 
well  as  nationally. 

Public  Ownership  and  Socialism 

Thus  Social-Democracy  offers  to  the  people  of  Mil- 
waukee the  only  opportunity  to  work  and  to  fight  for  a 
real  solution  of  the  problem. 

And  herein  lies  the  greatest  strength  of  the  program 
of  Social-Democracy.  For  back  of  the  local  organiza- 
tion of  this  movement  is  the  state  organization,  of  which 
it  is  an  essential  and  inseparable  part.  By  having 
Social-Democratic  members  in  the  state  legislature  we 
can  secure  the  necessary  state  legislation  to  enable  us 
to  carry  out  the  demands  of  our  platform. 

Back  of  the  state  is  the  national  organization  of  the 
Social-Democratic  movement,  which,  in  turn,  will  carry 
the  fight  into  the  national  congress. 

The  Social-Democracy,  both  locally  and  nationally, 
insists  that  the  production  of  this  country  shall  be 
taken  away  from  the  control  of  a  small  number  of 
irresponsible  men  whose  aim  it  is  to  exploit  us  to  the 
last  limit  of  endurance.  Social-Democracy  demands 
that  the  nation  shall  own  the  trusts.  It  fights  for  the 
complete  overthrow  of  modem  plutocracy. 

And  nothing  short  of  this  will  solve  the  problem. 

The  proposal  to  regulate  the  trusts  has  proven  to  be 
utterly  inadequate  and  futile.  It  has  failed  and  been 
abandoned  in  practically  every  country  where  it  has 
been  tried. 

The  Non-Partisan  Fallacy. 

In  view  of  these  facts  it  is  clear  that  the  so-called 
non-partisan  movement  is  utterly  wrong  in  principle 

15 


and  can  only  result  disastrously  to  the  people,  since 
the  problems  that  torment  them  most  cannot  be  solved 
apart  from  city,  state  and  national  organizations  fight- 
ing to  that  end. 

We  denounce  the  local  manifestation  of  this  non- 
partisan movement  as  a  most  transparent  piece  of  po- 
litical trickery,  since  the  most  notorious  partisan  poli- 
ticians have  forced  themselves  upon  the  movement, 
thus  proving  that  the  same  big  interests  that  have 
ruled  the  city  so  disgracefully  in  the  past  are  now 
simply  masquerading  under  a  new  name.  Beaten  in 
their  efforts  to  control  the  city  through  the  Republican 
and  Democratic  party  organizations,  they  are  now  at- 
tempting to  control  it  through  a  non-partisan  combina- 
tion of  the  corrupt  elements  in  both  parties. 

In  Conclusion. 

The  Social-Democracy  combats  not  alone  the  condi- 
tions which  exploit  and  oppress  the  wage- working  class, 
but  every  kind  of  exploitation,  whether  directed  against 
a  class,  a  party,  a  sex  or  a  rac«.  All  its  measures  bene- 
fit not  only  the  wage-working  class,  but  the  whole 
people,  and  while  the  working  people  are  the  banner 
bearers  in  this  fight,  in  the  last  analysis  everybody— 
the  merchant,  professional  man  and  the  small  shop- 
keeper— ^will  profit  thereby. 

Therefore  we  invite  every  honest  and  well  meaning 
voter,  without  regard  to  occupation,  race  or  creed,  to 
join  in  our  undertaking  for  the  emancipation  of  man- 
kind. 


r6 


A  Socialist 


Who  is  a  Socialist?     It  is  a  man 
Who  strives  to  formulate  or  aid  a  plan 
To  better  earth's  conditions.     It  is  he 
Who,  having  ears  to  hear  and  eyes  to  see, 
Is  neither  deaf  nor  blind  when  might,  rough-shod, 
Treads  down  the  privileges  and  rights  which  God 
Means  for  all  men ;  the  right  to  toil, 
To  breathe  pure  air,  to  till  the  fertile  soil- 
To  live,  to  love,  to  woo,  to  wed. 
And  earn  for  hungry  mouths  their  meed  of  bread. 
The  Socialist  is  he  who  claims  no  more 
Than  his  own  share  from  generous  Nature's  store; 
But  he  asks,  and  asks,  too,  that  no  other 
Shall  claim  the  share  of  any  weaker  brother. 
And  brand  him  beggar  in  his  own  domairt, 
To  glut  a  mad,  inordinate  lust  for  gain. 
The  Socialist  is  one  who  holds  the  best 
Of  all  God's  gifts  is  toil,  the  second,  rest. 
He  asks  that  all  men  learn  the  sweets  of  labor, 
And  no  idler  fatten  off  his  neighbor ; 
That  all  men  be  allowed  their  share  of  leisure. 
Nor  thousands  slave  that  one  may  seek  his  pleasure. 
Who  on  the  Golden  Rule  shall  dare  insist— 
Behold  him,  the  modern  Socialist. 

—Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox. 


17 


Our  Candidates 

Candidates  of  the  Social-Democratic  Party 

Chosen  by  Referendum  Vote 

Emil  Seid el— Mayor 

1154  Twentieth  Street  Telephone  North  2353 

Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Re-election 

At  the  patternmaker's  bench,  where  care  and  accu- 
racy count,  Mayor  Emil  Seidel  acquired  his  earnest  and 
conscientious  spirit.  He  was  only 
thirteen  when  he  began  work.  His 
parents  were  Germans,  but  he  was 
born  in  Schuylkill  County,  Pa.,  on 
December  13,  1864.  Before  he  had 
reached  his  fifth  year  his  fam- 
ily settled  in  Milwaukee. 

This  cutting  short  of  his  school- 
ing has  always  been  a  serious  re- 
gret to  Mr.  Seidel,  and  his  sympa- 
thy for  the  young  people  dates 
back,  no  doubt,  to  the  days  when 
he  first  became  a  wage-worker, 
after  graduating  from  the  Union 
School  in  the  Sixth  Ward. 

However,  in  his  twenty-second  year,  he  went  abroad 
to  perfect  himself  in  his  trade  of  cai;ving  and  design- 
ing. Six  3^ears  he  lived  in  Berlin,  working  at  his  trade 
by  da}^,  and  attending  a  trade  school  at  night. 

In  1892  he  returned  to  Milwaukee.  He  then  added 
patternmaking  to  his  other  trades.  In  1895  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Lucy  Geissel. 

Long  before  this,  how^ever,  he  had  become  a  trade 
unionist.  Away  back  in  1884  he  had  helped  to  organ^ 
ize  the  wood  carvers.     While  in  Berlin  he  was  a  mem- 

i8 


ber  of  a  union.  Later  he  joined  the  Milwaukee  Asso- 
ciation of  Patternmakers. 

He  was  also  an  early  worker  in  the  Socialist  move- 
ment. His  ballot  was  one  of  a  total  of  two  Socialist 
votes  in  his  precinct  in  1892.  It  w^ould  have  been  a 
rash  prophecy  then  to  predict  that  he  would  one  day  be 
swept  into  the  mayor's  office  on  a  Socialist  ticket! 
The .  first  Social-D.emocratic  branch  organized  in  Mil- 
waukee enrolled  him  as  a  charter  member. 

Mr.  Seidel  served  two  terms  as  alderman  from  the 
Twentieth  Ward,  and  in  1909  was  elected  alderman-at- 
large.     In  1910  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Milwaukee. 

After  his  inauguration  people  who  were  accustomed 
to  the  easy-going  ways  of  previous  officials  were  aston- 
ished to  find  the  mayor  with  his  sleeves  rolled  up,  toil- 
ing early  and  late  at  his  official  duties. 

As  time  Avent  on,  however,  they  discovered  that  this 
spirit  of  earnest  and  conscientious  work  was  the  ruling 
spirit  of  the  new  administration. 

The  work  of  Comrade  Seidel,  the  patternmaker 
mayor,  has  been  in  line  with  the  impulse  of  thorough- 
ness and  accuracy  which  years  before  had  prompted 
him  while  yet  a  young  wage-worker  to  cross  the  ocean 
and  undergo  long  years  of  hard  work  and  study  in  or- 
der to  become  an  expert  in  his  own  trade. 

He  served  the  city  well  as  an  alderman.  He  served 
it  better  as  mayor,  and  it  is  best  to  keep  him  on  the  job. 

"The  mayor,  Emil  Seidel,  is  in  many  ways 
the  most  competent  mayor  that  Milwaukee  ever 
had." — Prof.  John  Graham  Brooks  the  noted 
Sociologist,  at  present  Lecturer  on  Economics, 
University  of  California,  at  Berkeley. 


19 


Carl  P.  Dietz— Comptroller 

748%  Sixteenth  Street  Telephone  North  1273L 

Social-Democratic  Candidate  for  Re-election 

Comptroller  Dietz,  the  quiet  young  man  who  intro- 
duced order  out  of  the  chaos  which  formerly  reigned 
in  the  comptroller's  office,  was 
born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1875. 
His  father,  Rev.  H.  L.  Dietz,  a 
German  Baptist  minister,  removed 
to  Milwaukee  when  our  present 
comptroller  was  six  years  of  age. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  Mil- 
waukee public  schools  in  1891,  and 
completed  his  education  in  the 
San  Francisco  Boys'  High  School 
and  the  German-American  Acad- 
emy in  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

In  1895  Mr.  Dietz  returned  to 
Milwaukee,  where  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  work  and  in  the  law. 

In  1902  he  joined  the  Social-Democratic  party  and 
in  1904  was  elected  secretary  of  the  County  Central 
Committee,  an  office  to  which  he  has  ever  since  been 
annually  re-elected. 

Mr.  Dietz  was  elected  justice  of  tlie  peace  for  the 
Ninth  Judicial  District  in  1904,  and  re-elected  in  1906 
and  1908.  In  1910  he  was  elected  city  comptroller,  re- 
ceiving 26,510  votes,  against  20,019  cast  for  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  and  12,481  given  the  Republican  can- 
didate. 

No  fledgling  feeds  the  father  bird! 

No  chicken  feeds  the  hen! 
No  kitten  mouses  for  the  cat — 

This  glory  is  for  men. 
We  are  the  Wisest,  Strongest  Race — 

Loud  may  our  praise  be  sung! 
The  only  animal  alive 

That  lives  upon  its  young. 

— Charlotte  Perkins  Gilman. 


20 


Charles  B.  Whitnall— City  Treasurer 

026  Locust  Street  Telephone  North  2617 

Social-Democratic   Candidate  for  Re-election 

Long  years  of  training  and  business  experience  in 
the  banking  and  business  world  have  made  City  Treas- 
urer Whitnall  a  man  especially  fit 
for  the  position  he  holds. 

His  election  as  city  treasurer 
not  only  inspired  confidence  in  the 
ability  of  the  administration  to 
handle  the  city's  finances  proper- 
ly, but  resulted  in  a  thorough  and 
competent  management  of  the  de- 
partment. 

Few  Americans  of  Mr.  Whit- 
nall's  age  can  make  his  boast- 
that  he  is  still  living  in  the  very 
same  house  where  he  was  born  in 
1859.  Here  at  the  age  of  fifteen^ 
in  his  father's  greenhouses,  he  began  the  training: 
which,  with  constant  study  and  application,  made  hint 
an  authority  as  a  florist  and  landscape  gardener.  In. 
more  recent  years  he  has  given  special  attention  to  the^ 
subject  of  city  planning,  which  has  made  him  a  man  ol' 
the  greatest  value  to  the  administration  in  all  its  con- 
structive work  for  the  city. 

He  was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  Social- 
Democratic  party,  being  a  charter  member  of  the  first 
branch  organized  in  the  city ;  and  has  served  the  party 
faithfully  in  various  official  capacities,  especially  as  its 
state  treasurer,  for  years. 

Mr.  Whitnall  has  served  on  the  school  board;  as  a 
member  of  both  the  City  Planning  and  the  County  Park 
Commissions  from  their  inception,  and  now  is  presi- 
dent of  the  County  School  Board,  which  controls  the 
County  School  of  Agriculture  and  Domestic  Economy. 
In  1910  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office  of  city 
treasurer. 


21 


Social-Democratic  Candidates  for 

Aldermen-at-Large 


Edmund  J.  Berner 

666  Twenty-second  Street 
Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Alderman-at-Large 

Assemblyman  Berner  has  had  years  of  experience 
in  the  trade  union  and  Social-Democratic  movements. 
He  went  through  the  big  strike  of 
3  881-82    with    the    Cigarmakers' 
^;.^^^fc,^         Union  No.  25,  which  he  joined  in 
f  '^^       1881.     He  served  as  the  secretary 

/  -v^^»      ^^  ^^^^  union  in  1895 ;  as  their  del- 

f '^^  -^^^^HB  egate  to  the  Federated  Trades 
Trades  Council  in  1896,  and  also 
as  secretary  of  the  executive 
board  of  the  latter  body.  These 
offices  he  held  till  he  entered  the 
assembly. 

He  has  been  active  in  the  So- 
cialist movement  since  1891,  and 
for  six  years  acted  as  secretary  of 
the  Ninth  Ward  Branch  of  the  Social-Democratic  party. 
.  He  is  a  native  of  Ozaukee  County,  was  born  May  17, 
1864,  and  received  his  education  in  the  Ninth  Ward 
public  school.  In  1905  he  was  elected  assemblyman, 
and  has  been  thrice  re-elected,  thus  serving  four  suc- 
cessive terms  in  the  assembly. 


"The  Socialist  officials  have  displayed  sagac- 
ity and  moderation.  They  promise  nothing  Uto- 
pian, they  threaten  nothing  sinister." — Chicago 
Inter  Ocean. 

Keep  the  page  clean — vote  the  Social-Demo- 
i)ratic  ticket. 


Winfield  R.  Gaylord 

42  Estes  Street  Telephone  South  3878Y 

Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Alderman-at-Large 

Senator  Gaylord  was  one  of  the  prominent  figures 
of  the  last  two  sessions  of  the  Wisconsin  legislature. 
When  first  elected  he  was  the  only 
Social-Democrat  in  the  state  sen- 
ate. However,  the  fight  he  inaugu- 
rated in  behalf  of  the  working 
class  made  up  in  energy  what  the 
party  lacked  in  point  of  numbers. 
Mr.  Gaylord  was  born  June  14, 
1870,  in  Mississippi,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  Ohio  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, Hamline  University,  North- 
western University,  and  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary.  From  1889 
to  1902  he  served  as '  pastor  of 
Methodist  and  Congregational 
churches  in  Minnesota,  Illinois  and  Wisconsin.  Since 
1902  he  has  lectured  in  twenty  states  on  popular  and 
economic  subjects.  He  is  one  of  the  national  commit- 
teemen of  the  Social-Democrat  party  and  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Milwaukee  charter  convention  of  1908.  In 
the  same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from 
the  Sixth  District,  with  6,236  votes,  against  August 
Langhoff  (Rep.),  who  received  5,820  votes,  there  being 
no  Democratic  candidate. 

Ex-President  of  Harvard  University 

"I  do  not  know  about  the  accuracy  of  some 
of  their  theoretical  views — I  think  they  are 
called  by  a  very  inaccurate  name.  But  they 
seem  to  have  a  true  conception  of  honest  munici- 
pal government,  not  for  their  own  benefit,  nor 
for  the  benefit  of  any  class,  but  for  the  common 
good." — Former  President  Eliot  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, December,  1910,  after  a  visit  to  the  Mil- 
waukee City  Hall. 


22 


Martin  Gorecki 

455  Hayes  Avenue 
Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Aldennan-at-Large 

Borai  in  Bromberg,  Germany,  October  20,  1871.     Re- 
ceived   a    public    school    education.     Immigrated    to 
America  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

In  1902  he  settled  in  Milwau- 
kee, worked  in  Schlitz  brewery 
and  joined  Beer  Bottlers'  Union, 
Local  213,  and  was  later  trans- 
ferred to  Brewers'  Union  No.  9. 
He  served  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Federated  Trades  Council  from 
both  these  bodies. 

He  has  been  active  in  organiz- 
ing the  five  Polish  branches  of 
the  Social-Democratic  party  in 
Milwaukee,  and  in  establishing 
the  Naprzod,  a  weekly  Polish  pa- 
per. In  1910  he  was  elected  alderman-at-large  for  two 
years. 

The  Welfare  of  the  People  First — They   Stand 
for  the  Best  Things 

"The  Socialist  program  is  an  honest  one,  and 
their  intentions  to  carry  it  out  are  likewise 
honest. 

"Their  general  policy  is  to  work  for  men 
rather  than  in  the  interests  of  property.  The 
welfare  of  the  people  is  their  first  aim. 

"The  little  group  of  Socialists  in  the  last 
council  stood  for  the  best  things  in  municipal 
affairs,  and  their  program  for  the  future  is  cer- 
tainly a  good  one.  There  is  no  opportunity  to 
put  into  operation  any  of  the  more  extreme  poli- 
cies for  which  Socialism  stands." — Rev.  C.  H. 
Beale,  Pastor  of  Grand  Avenue  Congregational 
Church. 


24 


Edmund  T.  Melms 

President  of  the  Common  Council 


579  Eighth  Avenue 


Telephone  South  3120Y 


Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Alderman-at-Large 

While  president  of  the  Milwaukee  Common  Council, 
Alderman  Melms  has  held  the  respect  of  that  body  dur- 
ing his  incumbency.  Not  many 
men  in  politics  have  as  few  ene- 
mies as  Mr.  Melms.  Yet  he  makes 
no  secret  of  his  convictions  and 
can  fight  for  them  when  necessity 
requires. 

Alderman  Melms  is  a  native 
of  Milwaukee  County,  and  attend- 
ed the  Eleventh  District  school 
No.  1.  He  became  a  wage-worker 
at  the  early  age  of  thirteen. 
Candy-making,  shipping  clerk  in 
two  large  furniture  factories,  and 
syrup-refining  were  his  occupa- 
tions for  the  next  seventeen  years.  Later  he  did  news- 
paper work  and  joined  Newspaper  Writers'  Union  No. 
9,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  International  Typo- 
graphical Union.  For  six  years  he  has  acted  as  their 
delegate  to  the  Federated  Trades  Council.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  executive  council  of  the  latter  body. 
Mr.  Melms  was  among  the  pioneer  members  of  the 
Social-Democratic  party,  having  joined  that  body  in 
1897.  He  is  now  the  party's  county  organizer.  He 
was  elected  alderman  of  the  Eleventh  Ward  in  1904, 
and  has  been  re-elected  by  his  ward  in  every  succeed- 
ing election, 
the  council. 


He  has  served  two  years  as  president  of 


"The  Socialists,  through  their  adherence  to 
principle  and  their  insistence  upon  the  inviol- 
ability of  party  pledges,  will  serve  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  politics." — Milwaukee  Daily  News  of 
April  30,   1904. 


25 


Carl  Minkley 


1269  Nineteenth  Street  Telephone  North  3405X 

Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Alderman-at-Large 

Alderman  Minkley  was  born  in  Germany  November 
14,  1866.  He  early  entered  the  Socialist  and  labor 
union  movements,  and  in  1890'  his 
trade  organization  elected  him 
delegate  to  their  national  conven- 
tion, which  was  held  in  Bremen. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he 
came  to  America,  and  in  1893  set- 
tled in  Milwaukee.  Here  he  joined 
the  Socialist  Labor  party,  then 
the  only  Socialist  party  in  the 
field.  In  1908  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Social-Democratic  par- 
ty, and  in  April,  1910,  was  ap- 
pointed alderman-at-large  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  elec- 
tion of  Victor  L.  Berger  to  Congress. 

Alderman  Minkley  is  a  member  of  the  Painters  and 
Dcorators'  Union  No.  160,  and  has  served  as  delegate 
to  their  national  conyention.  He  has  also  acted  for  a 
number  of  years  as  vice-president  of  the  Milwaukee 
Maennerchor. 

An  Up-State  Paper  Says  a  Good  Word 

"The  Social-Democrats  of  Milwaukee  are  cer- 
tainly giving  to  the  country  some  splendid  les- 
sons on  high  ideals  in  public  office.  Service  to 
the  public  seems  to  be  the  aim  of  the  adminis- 
tration. Merit,  and  merit  only,  counts  in  all 
official  appointments.  The  best  man  for  the 
place,  the  one  best  qualified  to  perform  the 
work  required  in  the  office  is  sought  for,  and 
when  found,  appointed.  Honesty,  economy,  full 
service  for  pay  received  seem  to  be  the  princi- 
ples so  far  used  in  conducting  the  business  of 
the  city." — Ashland  Daily  Press. 

26 


Frank  J.  Weber 

1223  Locust  Street 

Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Alderman-at-Large 

During  the  last  three  sessions  of  the  Wisconsin  leg- 
islature Mr.  Weber  has  been  one  of  the  band  of  Social- 
Democratic  legislators  who  have 
faithfully  served  the  interests  of' 
labor.  He  acted  as  business  agent 
of  the  Federated  Trades  Council 
from  1902  to  1911,  when  he  was 
made  their  business  manager  and 
corresponding  secretary.     He  can 
also  boast  of  having  organized,  in 
1893,  the  Wisconsin  State  Federa- 
tion ^  of  Labor,   in  which   he   has 
been  an  official  for  twenty  years. 
Another  proud  record  for  Mr. 
Weber  is  that  he  has  never  voted 
the     Republican    or    Democratic 
ticket. 
A  native  of  Milwaukee,  he  was  born  in  1849.     At 
the  early  age  of  twelve  he  began  to  earn  his  living  on 
the  Great  Lakes  and  later  joined  the  Lake  Seamen's 
Union.     In  1892  he  left  the  water  for  work  on  the 
docks,  and  became  a  member  of  the  Lumber  Unloaders' 
Union  No.  18.     He  now  belongs  to  Carpenters'  Union 
No.  1053. 

Mr.  Weber  can  therefore  claim  to  be  a  sort  of  grand- 
father of  the  labor  movement,  where  he  has  rendered 
such  long  and  loyal  service  to  the  working  class, 

A  man  tried  and  true,  through  long  years  of  public 
service  in  legislative  and  labor  bodies. 


"The  Social-Democvats  have  brought  to  the 
common  council  a  spirit  of  honesty  and  inde- 
pendence that  was  needed  and  that  has  helped 
to  bring  that  body  into  better  public  repute." — 
Free  Press  of  March  5,  1906. 


27 


Martin  Petersen 

569  Twenty-seventh  Avenue 

Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Alderman-at-Larg'e 

Mr.  Petersen  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  where  he  was 
born  in  1865,  and  received  a  common  school  education. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
came  to  America.  He  obtained 
work  in  Michigan  saw-mills  and 
lumber  camps.  There  being  no 
organization  of  these  trades,  he 
helped  to  form  the  "Manistee 
County  Labor  Union."  This  was 
both  an  economic  and  political  or- 
ganization and  placed  a  city  tick- 
et in  the  field.  It  won  in  three 
successive  city  elections,  but  Mr. 
Petersen  found  himself  blacklist- 
ed. He  was  fired  from  the  saw- 
mills and  could  not  get  even  a  day 
laborer's  job.  The  mayor  appointed  him  to  the  fire 
department,  but  later,  when  the  capitalists  combined  to 
throw  out  the  Labor  Union  party,  he  found  that  he 
must  starve  or  leave  Manistee. 

He  accordingly  removed  to  Milwaukee  in  1889, 
learned  the  trade  of  stationary  fireman,  helped  to  or- 
ganize the  Stationary  Firemen's  Union  and  became  its 
secretary. 

In  1905  he  joined  the  Social-Democratic  party. 

A  New  and  a  Better  Page  in  Municipal  History 

"There  has  been  awakened  in  the  community 
a  spirit  that  unites  a  large  body  of  the  people 
and  the  municipal  officials  in  the  resolve  that 
there  shall  be  written  a  new  and  better  page  in 
the  history  of  American  municipalities."' — Mil- 
waukee Journal,  April  21,   1910. 

Keep  the  page  clean — vote  the  Social-Demo- 
cratic  ticket. 

28 


Otto  Braun 

1396  Booth  St. 
Social  Democratic  Candidate  for  Alderman-at-Large 


For 


his  year's  term  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Victor  L.  Berger,  resigned 


Otto  Braun  was  born  at  Dt  Eylau,   Germany,   on 
October  18th,  1867,  and  immigrated  with  his  parents  to 
America  in  1869.  The  family  came 
to  Milwaukee  in  1890  where  they 
have  lived  ever  since. 

Mr.  Braun  has  been   active  in 
the    union    movement    for    many 
years.  He  joined  the  famous  Street 
Carmen's  Union  when  it  was  or- 
ganized in  1893,  and  was  instru- 
mental in  getting  the  shopmen  in 
the  powerhouse,  where  he  worked, 
to  join  the  union.   The  strike  came 
on  in  1896  and  Braun  lost  his  job. 
In  1900  he  helped  to  organize  the 
Stationery  Firemen's   Union    and 
later  joined  the  Janitor's  Union. 
When  the  Janitor's   Union  was  consolidated  with  the 
Stationary  Engineer's  Union  he  went  in  with  that  or- 
ganization, of  which  he  is  still  a  member. 

He  joined  the  Social-Democratic  Party  in  1905. 

Federation  of  Civic  Societies  Approves 

The  Federation  of  Civic  Societies  views  with 
approval  the  published  utterances  of  the  new 
city  administration,  as  follows: 

"To  retire  from  public  service  incapable  men; 
to  retain  the  service  of  those  who  have  shown 
special  fitness;  defense  of  the  public  schools 
against  former  hostile  city  administration;  in- 
troduction of  a  system  of  cost-keeping;  redis- 
tricting  city  wards;  social  survey  of  Milwau- 
kee."— Federation  of  Civic  Societies. 


29 


Social-Democratic  Candidates  for 

Ward  Aldermen 


Ward.  Name.  Address. 

1st— Ben j.  F.  Buticofer 842  Arlington  PI. 

2d— Walter  P.  Stroesser.  .    316  State  St. 

3d  -Max  Wrege 239  Jefferson  St. 

4th— T.  0.  F.  Randolph '"  206  Alhambra  Theater 

Buiding 

5th— Martin  Mikkelson. . .  .    217  Greenbush  St. 

6th— John  L.  Reisse 612  Third  St. 

7th— John  Doerfler,  Jr 1239  Clarke  St. 

8th — Michael  Katzban 946  Windake  Ave. 

9th— Henry  Ries 1601  Walnut  St. 

10th— William  Koch 781  Sixteenth  St. 

11th— Ole  A.  Olsen 815  Forest  Home  Ave. 

12th— Max   Grass 293  Mitchell  St. 

13th— Albert  F.  Giese 139  Hadley  St. 

14th— Leo  Krzycki 1044  Eighth  Ave. 

15th— W.  P.  Faulkner 410^  Thirty-ninth  St. 

16th— William  P.  Carrigan.  .  3111  St.  Paul  Ave. 

17th— John  J.  Blade 628  Conway  St. 

18th — Jacob  Leonard 482  Murray  Ave. 

19th— Jacob  Jung,   Jr 2814  Yliet  St. 

20th— August  W.  Strehlow.1193  Teutonia  Ave. 
21st— William  Baumann.  .  .  .  1316  Booth  St. 

22d— John  Hassmann 772  Thirty-ninth  St. 

23d  —Ferdinand  W.  Rehfeld   453  Twelfth  Ave. 

24th— John  S.  Jones 949  Twenty-second  Ave. 

25th— Arthur  Urbanek 1356  Twelfth  St. 

Clean  Campaigns 

"The  clean  campaigns  of  the  Social-Demo- 
cratic party  in  this  city  have  given  to  other  po- 
litical organizations  a  model  worthy  of  imita- 
tion."— Evening  Wisconsin  of  March  24,  1905. 

30 


Social-Democratic  Candidates  for 

CountyBoard  of  Supervisors 

Ward.  Name.  Address. 

1st— Charles  C.  McDonald.   672  Jefferson  St. 

2d  —Otto  Harbicht ;  1303  Cold  Spring  Ave. 

3d  ^Fred  H.  Wolfe 588  Jackson  St. 

4tli-George  Moerschel.  . . .    912  Thirty-seventh  St. 

5th- Gilbert  Harlem  Poor.    591  Scott  St. 

6th— Andrew  Buehler 601  Sherman  St. 

7th— George    Mensing .    830  Eleventh  St. 

8th— Louis  Petzak 682  American  Ave. 

^9th— Frank    Boness 1413  Cherry  St. 

10th— Frederic  Heath 902  Locust  St. 

11th — Emil  Ruhnke 430  Twenty-seventh  Ave. 

12th— Martin  Mies 875  Kinnickinnic  Ave. 

13th— Fred  Buenger 1063  Booth  St. 

14th— Casimir  Kowalski,  . .  .    733  Lincoln  Ave. 
15th— Edwin  W.  Knappe.  . .  2614  Galena  St. 

16th-George  J.  Indra-. 43  Park  Hill  PI. 

17th — Christopher  Dunn. . .  .    205  Logan  Ave. 

18th— Peter  S.  Parsons 676  Oakland  Ave. 

19th— Frank  Vierthaler 1011  Twenty-eighth  Ave. 

A  Minister's  View 

"Yes,  the  personnel  of  the  present  administra- 
tion, well  known  to  the  voters  of  the  city,  not 
so  well  known  by  the  outside  world,  presents  a 
combination  of  ethical  idealism  inspiring  and 
directing  practical  efficiency  rarely  ever  found  in 
the  reform  administration  elected  in  any  Ameri- 
can city.  It  is,  moreover,  an  administration 
unembarrassed  by  any  shady  political  obligations 
or  shameful  'gentlemen's  agreements.'  " — Rev. 
Walter  F.  Greenman,  First  Unitarian  Church. 

31 


"Ill  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey- 
Where  wealth  accumuiates  and  men  decay." 


The  Issue 


THEIR  SIDE 
The  Non-Partisan,  Bi-Par- 
tisan,  Omni-Partisan,  Re- 
Bunkocratic  Ticket — 
' '  Anything  -  to  -  Beat  the 
Socialists"  Side 

The  Shirkers 
Private  Monopoly- 
Graft  and  Private  Profit 
Jobbery 
Machine  Politics 


Child  Labor 
Low  Wages 

Fraud 


OUR  SIDE 

The  Social-Democratic 

Side 


The  Workers 
Public  Ownership 
Honest  Administration 
Efficiency- 
Scientific    Management- 
Bureau  of  Efficiency  and 
Economy 
Union  Labor 
Union  Wages 

Honest  Weights  and  Meas- 
ures 


Competition 

Ecxploitation 

The  Class  Struggle 

War 

The  Capitalist  Class 

Industrial  Despotism 

Capitalism 


Co-operation 

Economic  Justice 

Fraternity 

Peace 

The  Working  Class 

Social-Democracy 

Socialism 


32 


A  Party  that  Keeps  Its  Platform 
Pledges 

The  Social-Democratic  party  has  never  been  a  party 
of  promises. 

It  has  been  a  party  that  made  demands.  It  is  a 
party  with  a  program  comprehensive  and  has  a  goal 
beyond  the  reach  of  a  day  or  even  a  decade.  The  de- 
mands of  the  Social-Democratic  party  are  for  all  the 
things  that  are.  necessary  for  the  health,  the  culture, 
the  freedom  and  happiness  of  the  workers  of  the  world. 
Our  platform  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  set  of  promises 
made  to  others.  It  is  the  declared  goal  of  the  workers 
endeavoring  to  work  out  their  own  salvation.  Our 
promises,  so  far  as  they  are  promises,  are  promises  to 
ourselves  and  our  children— a  resolution  and  a  sum- 
mons of  all  the  working  class  and  all  decent  citizens  to 
the  task  of  the  emancipation  of  the  workers. 

No  platform  of  the  Social-Democratic  party,  there- 
fore, can  be  judged  by  the  short-sighted  vision  of  those 
who  think  of  it  only  as  a  temporary  expedient,  or  as  a 
means  to  catch  votes  for  today  or  tomorrow. 

The  Social-Democracy  is  building  big  for  the  mighty 
and  the  better  future  of  humanity.  What  we  have 
written  into  our  platforms,  therefore,  is  altogether 
greater  and  better  than  what  is  written  into  the  plat- 
forms of  other  political  parties. 

And  what  we  do  not  accomplish  today  we  will 
accomplish  tomorrow.  What  we  do  not  achieve  this 
year  we  will  the  next.  And  what  we  do  not  achieve 
this  decade  we  will  the  next. 

However,  this  does  not  mean  that  the  Social-Demo- 
cratic party  in  Milwaukee  has  not  kept  its  platform 
pledges  to  the  limit. 

We  present  here  the  planks  of  the  platform  of  the 
party  adopted  in  1910,  with  a  brief  reference  to  what 
has  been  done  in  each  case. 

3  ? 


The  Platform 
1.  We  demand  —  new 
charter,     complete    home 
rule,     initiative,    referen- 
dum, recall. 


2.  Ownership  and  oper- 
ation of  public  service  en- 
terprises as  far  and  as  fast 
as  state  laws  will  permit. 


3.  Equitable  taxation — 
big  corporations  to  pay 
their  rightful  share. 


The  Record 

1.  Forty  different  bills 
sent  to  the  legislature, 
which  were  calculated  to 
secure  some  measure  of 
home  rule ;  proposed 
amendment  to  the  consti- 
tution introduced,  also 
general  home  rule  bill;  a 
number  of  charter  amend- 
ments adopted  as  result  of 
strenuous  fight  of  Social- 
Democrats,  among  them 
one  providing  for  initia- 
tive anu  referendum. 

2.  First  unit  of  the  elec- 
tric lighting  plant  under 
construction  at  garbage 
plant.  Contracts  for  the 
machinery  for  main  plant 
let.  Budget  for  1912  in- 
cludes issue  of  $100,000  in 
bonds  and  $300,000  worth 
of  mortgage  certificates 
for  completion  of  plant. 

3.  Tax  commissioner's 
office  held  by  a  Dave  Rose 
Democratic  hold-over  pol- 
itician, Frank  B.  Schutz. 
Social-Democrats  did  not 
secure  control  of  this  de- 
partment until  Jan.  1, 
1912.  Efforts  made  to 
secure  tax  experts— 
blocked  by  Republicans 
and  Democrats  in  state 
legislature.  Readjust- 
ment  of  basis  of  taxa- 
tion to  true  or  full  value 


34 


4.  Slaughter  house  and 
municipal  markets. 


5.  Direict  employment— 
abolition  of  contract  sys- 
tem. 


6.  Firemen  and  police- 
men to  have  fair  treat- 
ment and  public  trial  be- 
fore being  discharged. 

7.  The  city  shall  pay 
fair  wages,  not  less  than 
union  scale. 

8.  Election  day  public 
holiday. 

9.  City  shall  provide  for 
its  unemployed. 


as  required  by  law.  Mil- 
lions of  dollars'  worth 
of  property  discovered  by 
Social-Democrats  subject 
to  taxation,  but  omitted 
from  the  roll  by  Demo- 
cratic tax  department. 

4.  Bills  covering  these 
points  introduced  at  the 
last  session  of  legislature. 
Killed  by  old  parties.  Com- 
mission appointed  and  at 
work  on  plans. 

5.  Public  Works  depart- 
ment submitted  carefully 
prepared  plans  involving 
the  purchase  of  materials 
and  machinery  in  order 
that  city  might  do  its  own 
paving.  Three-fourths  vote 
necessary  to  carry  the 
proposition;  minority  de- 
feated the  plan.  A  begin- 
ning made  in  the  asphalt 
repair  department. 

6.  Law  secured  and  put 
into  operation. 


7.  Minimum  wage  es- 
tablished and  union  scale 
for  all  city  employes. 

8.  Law  enacted  for  half 
holiday  on  election  day. 

9.  Co-operation  of  the 
administration  with  Fed- 
erated Trades  Council,  As- 
sociated    Charities,    Mer- 


35 


10.  M  u  n  i  c  i  pal 
quarry. 


11.  Municipal  wood  and 
coal  yard. 


12.  Municipal  ice  plant. 


13.  Annexation  of  terrir 
tory. 

14.  City    planning     for 
better  housing. 


15.  Redistricting  of  city 
wards. 

16.  Municipal  terminal. 


17.  Extension     of    free 
medical  service. 


chants  and  Manufacturers^ 
Association  to  relieve  un- 
employed. Assisted  in  the 
establishment  of  a  free 
employment  bureau  now 
developed  into  an  organi- 
zation covering  the  entire 
state.  Most  effective  of  its 
kind  in  America. 

stone  10.  Resolution  for  the 
purchase  of  the  Zimmer- 
man site  passed  council. 
Provision  in  budget. 

11.  Awaiting  proper 
public  control  of  transpor- 
tation and  actual  re- 
sources. 

12.  Constitutionality  of 
law  giving  city  right  to  es- 
tablish being  tested  in  the 
courts. 

13.  Several  portions  an- 
nexed. 

14.  Metropolitan  Park 
Commission,  now  called 
the  City  Planning  Com- 
mission, at  work  on  plan. 
Also  land  commission  ap- 
pointed. 

15.  Accomplished. 

16.  Defeated  by  refer- 
endum. 

17.  New  isolation  hos- 
pital established ;  Blue 
Mound   Sanitarium  taken 


36 


18.  For  personal  liberty 
and  against  vice. 

19.  Comfort  stations.    - 


20.  Municipal  plumbing 
and  se^verage. 


21.  Reorganization 
the  sewerage  system. 


of 


22.  Small     parks      and 
playgrounds. 


23.  Larger  development 
and  use  of  public  schools 
favored— free  text  books 
—social  centers. 


over  by  the  county ;  tuber- 
culosis commission  co-or- 
dinating forces  for  help  in 
fight  on  that  dread  dis- 
ease; Child  Welfare  work 
established. 

18.  Many  disreputable 
saloons  put  out  of  business. 

19.  The  first  comfort 
station  erected  and  in  op- 
eration at  First  Avenue 
Viaduct. 

20.  Enabling  law  de- 
feated by  the  legislature. 

21.  Report  of  sewerage 
commission  received  and 
plans  being  made  for  con- 
solidation of  the  water  de- 
partment and  sewerage  de- 
partment to  enable  the 
carrying  out  of  recommen- 
dations. 

22.  Fifth  Ward  Park 
and  playground  on  south 
side.  City  forester  en- 
gaged. 

23.  Larger  appropria- 
tions for  public  schools 
made  by  Social-Democrats? 
than  ever  before.  County 
Board  sets  aside  $5,000  to 
be  used  for  the  feeding  of 
under-nursed  school  chil- 
dren. Twenty-one  school 
buildings  opened  for  so- 
cial, civic  and  neighbor- 
hood clubs. 


24.  Public      recreations         24.  Concerts    given    in 
and  amusements.  Auditorium  Sunday  after- 

noons during  the  winter 
months.  Park  concerts  ex- 
tended. 

A  Fair,  Impartial  Judgment 

"Justice  and  fair  play  demand  that  it  be  said 
that  in  contrast  with  the  sort  of  social  service 
and  municipal  service  Milwaukee  ever  had  be- 
fore this  present  Seidel  administration  is  wholly 
excellent. 

"And  that  is  the  only  true  criterion.  Kansas 
City  is  one  of  the  few  most  fortunate  cities  in 
the  country  in  the  large  measure  of  its  freedom 
to  attend  to  its  own  business.  The  board  of 
public  welfare  grew  from  this  home  rule  liberty. 
Milwaukee  has  no  such  freedom.  It  is  governed 
largely  by  state  laws.  Its  Socialists  cannot  set 
up  a  Socialist  regime.  They  can  simply  give 
honest  and  efficient  administration  within  the 
limits  of  the  general  laws  of  the  land  and  the 
specific  acts  of  the  Wisconsin  legislature.  This 
last  the  Socialist  administration  has  given  in  a 
rare  degree — as  every  fair-minded,  impartial  in- 
vestigator will  tell  you." — Kansas  City  Star, 
January  6,  1912. 

You  have  an  honest,  efficient  government  in  Milwau- 
Tcee — vote  to'heep  it  up. 


38 


The  Departments  at  Work 

A  BRIEF  REVIEW  OF  WORK  OF  THE  ADMINIS- 
TRATION 

By  Emil  Seidel,  Mayor 


The  past  two  years  in  the  history  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  city  of  Milwaukee  have  been  replete  with 
many  advancements.  Hardly  had  the  result  of  the  last 
municipal  election  become  known  when  already  the 
men  elected  were  preparing  plans  for  the  two  years' 
work  before  them. 

The  first  rule  laid  down  was  that  every  man  con- 
nected with  the  city  government  and  receiving  an  ade- 
quate salary  was  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  the  city's 
work.  This  was  the  rule  that  the  mayor  applied  to 
himself  and  insisted  upon  its  strictest  observance  by 
every  officer,  whether  appointed  or  elected. 

Department  of  Public  Works 

The  administration  was  not  yet  inaugurated  when 
the  plans  to  abolish  the  Board  of  Public  Works  and 
substitute  therefor  the  one  head  department  were  com- 
pleted. At  first  there  was  no  opposition  to  this  change  ; 
but  when  its  far-reaching  effect  in  the  breaking  up  of 
the  asphalt  ring  became  known  certain  elements  in 
our  city  deemed  it  advisable  that  the  legality  of  the 
change  be  tested.  The  decision  in  the  lower  court  de- 
clared the  change  illegal.  In  the  upper  court  this  de- 
cision was  reversed.  This  one  instance  is  indicative  of 
the  opposition  that  the  present  administration  met  with 
during  its  term  of  office. 

Less  Help,  More  Work 

From  the  very  first  day  the  mayor's  office  con- 
cerned itself  diligently  with  the  many  questions  that 
came  before  it.  With  a  decreased  force  of  three  men, 
instead  of  four  as  formerly,  it  not  only  carried  out  all  of 
its  routine  work,  but  was  at  all  times  ready  to  meet 

39 


any  citizen  without  distinction  to  discuss  and  act  in 
any  matter  pertaining  to  the  public  welfare.  The  rooms 
of  the  executive  office  were  thrown  open  to  committee 
gatherings  on  all  occasions.  Nor  was  this  policy  con- 
fined to  the  mayor's  office.  It  applied  likewise  to  the 
council  chamber,  thus  letting  the  public  know  that  its 
city  hall  is  its  property. 

Expert  Help 

Noting  the  fact  that  no  sooner  do  men  become  ex- 
pert in  any  particular  line  of  activity  than  some  private 
corporation  engages  them  at  salaries  such  as  cities  are 
not  accustomed  to  pay,  the  administration  put  forth  its 
best  efforts  to  engage. the  best  help  that  it  could  lay  its 
hands  on,  believing  that  municipalities  should  have  the 
first  claim  to  expert  service. 

Following  this  policy,  the  mayor's  office  cast- about 
for  a  health  commissioner  and  secured  a  man  who,  as 
a  sanitarian,  had  established  a  national  reputation. 
The  methods  employed  to  drive  him  from  the  city  are 
too  well  known  to  be  repeated  here. 

Similar  efforts  were  made  to  secure  the  best  man 
for  the  head  of  the  Public  Works  Department.  But  it 
soon  developed  that  the  salary  which  the  city  of  Mil- 
waukee was  permitted  to  pay  by  law  could  not  secure 
a  man  with  many  years'  experience  as  a  public  official. 
Besides  that  a  mean  opposition  arose  to  appointing 
non-residents,  although  previously  such  were  appoint- 
ed to  positions  in  Milwaukee  without  legal  embarrass- 
ments. It  therefore  became  necessary  to  do  the  best 
that  could  be  done,  and  today  no  fair  minded  man 
questions  the  statement  that  the  present  commissioner 
of  public  works  has  filled  his  position  creditably. 

Efficiency  and  Economy 

Following  the  suggestion  contained  in  the  mayor's 
message  in  1910,  the  administration  decided  that  the 
mayor  begin  negotiations  with  Dr.  John  R.  Commons, 
looking  toward  the  establishment  of  a  Bureau  of  Econ- 
omy and  Efficiency. 

40 


Earh^  in  the  summer  of  1910  the  bureau  Avas  start- 
ed, with  Dr.  John  R.  Commons  as  director,  B.  M.  Ras- 
tall  as  associate  director.  A  comprehension  of  the 
work  of  this  department  cannot  be  gained  from  a  brief 
account  given  here.  Only  spending  the  time  to  go 
through  the  many  volumes  of  reports  worked  out  by 
this  department  will  permit  any  one  to  understand  its 
huge  task.  At  the  same  time,  this  department  has  un- 
dertaken surveys  and  prepared  plans  for  social  im- 
provements along  many  lines.  The  attention  of  the 
interested  public  is  called  to  such  bulletins  as  appeared 
in  print.  The  work  of  this  department  will  have  only 
begun  after  it  has  completed  the  plans  for  the  reor- 
ganization of  all  city  departments.  A  city  government 
cannot  administer  to  the  needs  of  a  people  unless  it 
understands  the  intricacies  of  any  given  problem  and 
the  means  at  its  disposal  for  the  solution  of  such  prob- 
lems. In  gathering  such  information  and  working  out 
the  solution  lies  the  real  importance  of  this  department. 

Civil  Service 

The  position  of  the  administration  on  civil  service 
has  been  questioned.  But  a  careful  analysis,  will  prove 
that  the  charges  made  in  connection  herewith  are  base- 
less and  born  of  malice.  Together  with  ability 
must  also  go  fealty  to  a  purpose.  Men  may  be  very 
able,  and  just  because  of  this,  be  the  more  dangerous 
to  the  public  welfare  if  such  ability  is  used  to  favor 
corporate  interests. 

For  this  reason  the  people  were  served  well  in  the 
appointment  of  Charles  A.  Mullen;  for  uppermost  in 
his  mind  he  had  the  ideal  to  give  the  people  full  value 
for  money  expended  in  pavement.  When,  therefore, 
the  supreme  court  decided  that  his  position  was  ille- 
gally filled,  it  may  have  taken  a  sound  legal  stand,  but 
it  does  not  hold  a  sane,  businesslike  position. 

Time  and  again  the  present  administration  has  ap- 
pointed men  to  office  because  of  their  qualifications, 
though  they  were  not  Socialists.  Other  men  who  have 
been  for  years  in  the  employ  of  the  cit}^  have  been  re- 

41 


tained  and  in  a  number  of  instances  even  promoted  to 
higher  positions. 

Co-operation 

One  of  the  features  of  the  present  administration 
is  the  spirit  of  co-operation.  Not  only  have  the  vari- 
ous departments  under  the  administration  been  en- 
thused to  a  high  degree  of  teamwork,  but  the  city  and 
county  governments  have  in  all  problems  that  required 
greater  efforts,  likewise  worked  together  for  the  com- 
mon welfare.  But  the  administration  has  not  stopped 
here.  Wherever  there  was  an  indication  in  the  com- 
munity for  advancement,  where  there  was  a  man  or 
woman  or  a  group  of  men  or  women  that  worked  for 
a  progressive  cause,  there  the  administration  stood 
ready,  at  all  times,  to  co-operate  and  to  lend  such 
assistance  as  it  was  possible  to  give,  very  often  going 
out  of  its  way.  It  was  rarely  that  in  this  plan  of  col- 
lective effort  a  note  of  discord  was  struck,  such  as  the 
refusal  of  the  school  board  to  act  in  harmony  in  the 
budget  exhibit,  or  the  refusal  of  the  chiefs  of  the  police 
and  fire  departments  to  aid  in  the  consolidation  of  the 
police  and  fire  alarm  systems.  But  the  administration 
hopes  that  with  a  continuance  of  this  spirit  the  preju- 
dice even  in  these  departments  will  be  broken  down. 

River  Walk 

One  of  the  notable  results  of  this  co-operation  be- 
tween the  administration  and  civic  groups  of  citizens 
is  the  plan  of  the  river  walk.  This  improvement  today 
appears  practically  assured,  and  was  only  possible 
through  the  good  will  of  the  property  owners  and  busi- 
ness men  interested,  together  with  the  good  will  of  the 
administration.  If  the  plans  do  not  miscarry,  work  on 
this  improvement  will  be  begun  by  the  1st  of  May, 
1912. 

What  this  improvement  means  for  the  city  very  few 
today  even  realize.  But  it  is  the  first  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  United  States  that  unsightly  river  fronts 

42 


The  Proposed  River  Walk. 

will  be  turned  into  beauty  spots.  It  is  the  beginning 
to  reclaim  the  river  as  one  of  Milwaukee's  most  beau- 
tiful natural  resources. 

Special  Privileges 

During  the  last  two  years  a  new  policy  has  been 
inaugurated  with  regard  to  special  privileges.  All  of 
these  so-called  special  privileges  carry  with  them  some 
value  to  the  recipient.  In  the  past  the  granting  of 
these  has  always  been  fraught  with  possibilities  of 
graft.  The  mayor's  office,  therefore,  has  taken  the 
initiative  in  securing  for  the  city  values  for  privileges 
granted.  Thus  several  amounts  were  turned  over  to 
the  playground  association  and  in  another  case  the 
playground  paraphernalia  in  Lapham^Park  secured. 
In  the  case  of  vacating  an  alley,  the  legal  power  of  the 
city  to  assess  benefits  and  damages  was  resorted  to, 
and  for  the  vacation  of  the  alley  $7,000  paid  into  the 
city  treasury.     The  business  man  prefers  to  deal  with 


43 


a  city  on  a  fair  basis  like  this  rather  than  to  be  charged 
with  getting-  things  for  nothing,  or  even  running  the 
danger  of  offering  bribes. 

Gambling  and  Vice 

An  earnest  attempt  has  been  made  to  combat  the 
evils  of  gambling  and  the  sale  of  intoxicants  in  houses 
of  ill  fame.  It  cannot  be  overlooked,  however,  that 
there  is  a  serious  discrepancy  between  the  report  of  the 
chief  of  police  on  these  evils  and  the  rumors  that  are 
continually  brought  to  the  attention  of  this  office.  The 
chief  has  time  and  again  assured  the  mayor  that  he 
knows  of  no  cases  of  violations  while  the  rumors  main- 
tain that  gambling  as  well  as  the  dispensation  of  liquor 
in  houses  of  ill  fame  continue,  though  less  openly  than 
before. 

Recreation  and  Relaxation 

However,  the  real  cure  for  these  evils  does  not  lie 
in  police  control  or  regulation,  but  rather  in  offering 
something  better  to  our  youth  for  that  which  we  seek 
to  abolish.  Recreation  and  relaxation  will,  under  the 
control  of  properly  trained  men  and  women,  go  far  to 
diminish  these  evils.  For  that  reason  the  administra- 
tion has  put  forth  special  efforts  to  secure  enabling  leg- 
islation. The  Socialists  will  continue  their  efforts  to 
firmly  establish  and  broaden  educational  and  recrea- 
tional activities. 

Fire  and  Police  Inspection 

Through  the  Bureau  of  Economy  and  Efficiency 
plans  for  a  comprehensive  system  of  inspection  by  the 
police  force  were  prepared.  The  council  now  is  busy 
carrying  into  effect  these  plans. 

A  similar  system  of  inspection  for  the  fire  depart- 
ment is  in  course  of  preparation.  It  is  hoped  that 
through  this  work  eventually  the  waste  in  fire  losses 
will  be  reduced  and  a  comparative  reduction  in  rates 
follow. 

44 


City  Planning 

Many  cities  of  this  nation  have  become  aware  of  the 
necessity  that  our  growth  must  be  directed  along  com- 
prehensive and  well  planned  lines.  This  administration 
has  taken  a  live  interest  in  this  problem.  The  city 
treasurer  has  put  in  his  entire  spare  time  on  the  work. 

In  addition  thereto,  the  city  attorney's  office  has 
aided  in  the  drafting  of  laws  and  resolutions.  The 
mayor's  office  has  prepared  several  studies  and  a  model 
covering  various  phases  on  city  planning.  Sidetracks, 
transfer  facilities,  street  car  franchises,  transportation 
and  harbor  matters  were  taken  up.  Track  elevation 
wa.s  continuously  pushed.  A  land  conimission  was  ap- 
pointed, likewise  commissions  on  housing  and  harbor. 
The  work  on  the  building  code  commission  is  being 
vigorously  pushed  under  the  able  guidance  of  the  build- 
ing inspector,  Carl  F.  Ringer,  appointed  under  the 
present  administration.  River  beautification  has  al- 
ready been  mentioned.  In  this  manner  the  problem  is 
being  approached  from  many  angles  and  with  con- 
tinued energy  spent  upon  it  a  few  years  should  show 
marked  improvements,  with  resulting  better  sanitary 
conditions  for  all  the  people. 

Social  Activities 

It  may  be  safely  said  that  never  before  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  city  have  so  many  activities  for  social  im- 
provement been  begun  and  carried  on  as  under  the 
present  administration.  Through  the  combined  efforts 
of  the  district  attorney,  city  attorney  and  mayor's 
office  a  vigorous  campaign  has  been  waged  against  the 
loan  shark  evil.  Recreation,  city  planning  and  hous- 
ing have  already  been  mentioned. 

Following  the  suggestion  of  the  mayor^n  his  mes- 
sage to  the  common  council  of  April,  1911,  there  were 
appointed  commissioners  on  tuberculosis  and  child  wel- 
fare. The  work  of  the  Child  Welfare  Commission  has 
been  highly  complimented  by  men  and  women  interest- 
ed in  it.  Some  of  its  features  are  unique.  The  result 
is  already   shown  in   a  reduction   of  the   death  rate 

45 


among  the  children  in  the  locality  in  which  the  work 
is  carried  on. 

Similarly,  many  activities  carried  on  by  a  number 
of  high  minded  private  citizens  to  combat  tuberculosis 
received  a  renewed  impetus  through  the  appointment 
of  the  Tuberculosis  Commission.  The  offices  of  these 
two  commissions  are  located  in  the  city  hall  and  visit- 
ors are  always  welcome. 

The  problem  of  unemployment  during  the  times  of 
industrial  crises  very  early  received  the  attention  of 
the  administration  and  a  commission  to  take  up  this 
work  was  also  appointed.  A  call  at  the  office  of  the 
Free  Emplojonent  Bureau  will  convince  any  one  that 
the  work  of  this  commission  is  not  without  results. 

Nor  has  the  high  cost  of  living  been  overlooked. 
To  develop  such  limited  resources  as  are  at  our  dis- 
posal at  this  time,  commissions  on  garden  patches  and 
markets  were  appointed.  It  must,  however,  be  borne 
in  mind  that  the  best  that  can  be  done  by  these  com- 
missions is  to  carefully  and  thoroughly  study  the  re- 
spective problems  and  work  out  comprehensive  solu- 
tions therefor.  In  most  instances  the  constructive  work 
that  can  be  done  can  be  only  in  the  nature  of  immediate 
relief.  To  effect  complete  cures  it  will  be  necessary 
for  the  city  to  be  given  immensely  more  powers  and 
resources  than  it  has  today.  To  illustrate,  with  the  in- 
dustries all  in  possession  of  private  corporations  and 
the  working  people  worked  to  the  limit  of  their  endur- 
ance, it  is  not  possible  that  the  city  can  assume  respon- 
sibility for  the  unemployed  when  in  these  industries  a 
panic  prevails. 

Labor  Measures 

One  of  the  most  important  lines  of  activity  was 
followed  by  the  administration  in  laying  down  the  rule 
that  the  power  of  a  government  shall  be  used  to  ele- 
vate the  standard  of  living  of  the  masses.  Labor  being 
the  human  source  of  wealth,  the  object  is  to  use  every 
effort  to  improve  and  elevate  the  conditions  of  the 
workers.     For  that  reason  special  effort  was  placed 

46 


upon  factory  and  food  inspection.     In  this  respect  the 
Health  Department  has  done  very  much. 

The  influence  of  the  administration  was  used  in  se- 
curing fair  conditions  on  work  done  by  private  contract 
for  the  city.  For  this  reason  an  ordinance  was  passed 
providing  for  a  maximum  working  day  of  eight  hours 
on  all  work  done  under  contract  for  the  city.  Partially 
successful  efforts  have  been  made  to  enforce  this  ordi- 
nance, which,  it  is  hoped,  will  finally  become  effective 
throughout.  Hours  and  wages  for  city  employes  have 
been  revised.  Through  the  co-operation  of  the  Mayor's 
office  the  Retail  Clerks'  Association  succeeded  in 
securing  for  the  first  time  the  observance  of  Labor 
Day  in  a  great  number  of  stores.  Several  strikes  and 
a  number  of  individual  disputes,  involving  costly 
litigation,  were  amicably  settled  through  the  efforts 
of  the  officers  of  the  administration* 


Professor  John  Graham  Brooks,  the  Noted  Sociologist, 
CHiarmed  with  Milwaukee  Socialist  Administration 

"The  Socialists  in  Milwaukee  and  Butte  are 
giving  these  cities  the  best,  the  cleanest  and 
most  satisfactory  business  administration  in 
their  history  and  are  repairing  the  damage 
wrought  by  years  of  the  old  graft  regime. 

''In  Milwaukee  the  Socialists  came  into  office  great- 
ly handi<japped.  Their  city  was  heavily  in  debt.  They 
are  devoting  their  efforts  wisely,  to  the  cleaning  up  of 
this  debt  and  to  the  general  civic  clean-up,  doing  what 
the  government  before  them  did  not  do." 

—Prof.  John  Graham  Brooks. 


47 


City  Clerk's  Department 

Complete  Reorganization 

The  city  clerk  is  the  recording  officer  for  the  city. 

The  Social-Democratic  city  council,  upon  taking 
office,  elected  for  city  clerk,  Carl  D.  Thompson.  Mr. 
Thompson,  immediately  upon  election,  appointed  Henry 
Ohl,  Jr.,  as  deputy.  The  balance  of  the  force  remained 
in  their  positions,  with  the  exception  of  one  employe, 
who  never  returned  to  his  work.  The  position,  there- 
fore, was  left  vacant. 

The  volume  of  work  and  the  wide  range  of  matter 
that  is  covered  by  this  department  are  shown  by  the 
following  table : 
The  Varied  Duties  of  the  City  Clerk's  Department 

1.  Clerk  of  common  council  and  39  committees. 

2.  Council  proceedings. 

3.  Elections— all  matters. 

4.  Licenses— 2,100    saloons,    13,000   dogs,    and   hun- 
dreds of  trade,  vehicle  and  miscellaneous  licenses. 

5.  Mortgages,  bills  of  sale,  etc. 

6.  Board  of  Review— ex-officio  secretary. 

7.  Tax  roll— 3,300  pages. 

8.  Reports— Annual  Digest. 

9.  Information— departmental,  public. 

10.  Pay  rolls. 

11.  City  orders— average  more  than  1,000  per  month. 

12.  Official  oaths— administered  and  filed. 

13.  City  automobile. 

14. '  Board  of  Estimates— ex-officio  secretary. 

15.  Court  testimony. 

16.  Correspondence — locally,  departmental,  general. 

17.  Certified  copies. 

18.  Mailing  list. 

19.  Secretary  Election  Commission. 

20.  Records  of  legislation  and  documents. 

21.  Official  advertising. 

Low  Cost  of  City  Clerk's  Department  in  Milwaukee 
According   to   the   figures   taken   from   the   special 
48 


A  Busy  City  Clerk 


Working  Out  a  New  Idea 

report  of.  the  United  States  government  on  * '  Statistics 
of  Cities"  (1910),  showing  the  comparative  cost  of  the 
city  clerks'  departments  in  various  cities,  Milwaukee 
allows  for  its  city  clerk's  department  only  a  little  more 
than  one-half  as  much  as  the  average  in  the  other  six 
cities  nearest  its  size  in  America. 

Cost  of  City  Clerk's  Department  in  Milwaukee,  Com- 
pared to  Six  Other  Cities  Next  in  Size 

Cost  of  City 
Clerk's  Dept. 

Cleveland $15,503 

Buffalo 13,788 

Detroit 22,622 

Cincinnati 23,098 

MILWAUKEE 9,389 

Newark 31,171 

49 


Minneapolis 11,994 

Jersey  City 16,116 

Average,  $18,311. 

Economies  Effected  in  and  Throug^h  City  Clerk's 
Department 

Every  department  of  the  present  administration  is 
anxious  to  make  every  dollar  go  as  far  as  possible— to 
secure  the  best  service  for  the  least  possible  money. 

Careful  attention  to  many  different  lines  in  which 
expenditures  were  involved  has  enabled  the_  adminis- 
tration, through  this  department,  to  effect  notable  sav- 
ings, as  the  following  table  will  show : 

1.  Elimination  of  unnecessary  duplications 

in  the  printing  of  council  proceedings.  .  .$      200.00 

2.  Reduction  of  the  amount  of  official  ad- 
vertising in  newspapers  to  the  legal  limit     9,480.00 

3.  Elimination  of  graft  on  the  posting  of 
registration  lists,  saved , 1,870.00 

4.  Elimination   of    17,282   names   from   the 
registration   lists 900.00 

5.  The  new  election  commission  will  reduce 

the  cost  of  elections  by 11,282.00 

Total $23,732.00 

Reorganization  and  Improvements 

The  work  of  this  department  was  taken  up  with  the 
same  earnest  determination  to  make  good  that  has 
characterized  every  other  department. 

Scarcely  a  detail  of  the  work  of  the  department  but 
that  has  been  carefully  reorganized  and  in  most  cases 
revolutionized.  Old  methods  have  been  discarded  where 
found  inefficient,  and  modern,  up-to-date  methods 
substituted. 

Among  the  improvements  inaugurated,  the  follow- 
ing may  be  mentioned  as  of  chief  importance : 

1.  Modern,  up-to-date  filing  systems  for  city  corre- 
spondence and  official  papers  throughout  the  depart- 
ment. 

so 


2.  A  new  combined  file  number  index  and  filing 
system  for  the  council  proceedings.  The  working  out 
of  this  system  constitutes,  we  believe,  a  real  contribu- 
tion to  this  particular  problem  in  the  handling  of  mu- 
nicipal records.  Other  cities  have  already  begun  copy- 
ing it. 

3.  A  new  ^filing  system  for  all  official  papers  to  go 
with  the  above  system  of  indexing. 

4.  Accumulative  index  of  all  ordinances  passed  by 
the  city  council  up  to  the  current  year.  This  involved 
going  through  the  last  compilation  of  ordinances,  which 
was  made  in  1906,  and  in  addition  the  indexing  of  all 
of  the  ordinances  passed  since  that  time,  and  thus  puts 
into  one  pamphlet  the  index  of  all  ordinances  which 
were  before  distributed  in  five  different  places. 

4.  Card  case  system  for  the  recording  of  2,000 
saloon  and  13,000  dog  licenses. 

5.  New  style  and  form  of  the  printed  council  pro- 
ceedings. 

6.  New  method  of  indexing  and  filing  assignment 
of  city  orders. 

7.  Printed  blank  forms  for  city  ordinances,  reso- 
lutions, etc.,  insuring  uniformity  in  all  official  docu- 
ments. 

8.  Policy  adopted  requiring  duplicate  copies  of  all 
official  papers  to  guard  against  loss. 

9.  Provision  for  the  payment  for  current  council 
proceedings  and  bound  volumes. 

10.  Readjustment  of  the  basis  of  taxation. 

New  Work  Proposed  for  Next  Year 

While  the  above  work  of  reorganization  has  entailed 
an  immense  amount  of  labor  and  resulted  in  a  most 
complete  revolutionizing  of  the  work  of  the  depart- 
ment, the  administration  has  other  matters  in  mind  for 
future  work,  plans  that  will  result  in  still  further 
economy  and  greater  efficiency.  Among  these  may  be 
mentioned  the  following: 

The  city  is  still  required  to  do  an  immense  amount 
of  official  advertising  that  we  believe  to  be   entirely 

.SI 


unnecessary.  Many  thousands  of  dollars  of  the  tax- 
payers' money  are  wasted  every  year  in  this  manner. 
But  we  are  powerless  to  remedy  the  situation  until  the 
state  law  is  changed. 

Mr.  Thompson  drafted  a  proposed  law  that  could 
permit  this  change  and  went  to  Madison  in  its  behalf. 
But  the  papers  whose  interests  were  involved  sent  a 
strong  lobby  to  the  state  legislature,  and  the  city  did 
not  secure  the  bill.  This  fight  should  be  kept  up  and 
,  this  money  saved  to  the  city. 

The  ordinances  of  the  city  are  now  thoroughly  in- 
dexed. The  same  should  be  done  with  reference  to  the 
resolutions,  which  in  many  cases  carry  as  much  weight 
as  ordinances,  and  are  of  equal  importance. 

This  would  mean  a  great  deal  of  work,  but  would  be 
well  worth  the  while. 

These  and  many  other  improvements  will  be  stead- 
ily advanced  if  the  Socialist  administration  is  kept  in 
power.  And  we  warn  the  voters  that  in  this  depart- 
ment, as  in  others,  the  very  great  and  decided  improve- 
ments that  have  been  wrought  by  the  Socialist  admin- 
istration will  be  lost  to  them  in  great  measure,  unless 
they  keep  the  Social-Democrats  on  the  job. 

Not  only  have  former  administrations  failed  to 
make  these  improvements  and  to  develop  the  efficiency 
they  should,  but  it  is  doubted  whether  they  have  any 
desire  to  do  so.  Only  the  Social-Democrats  have  the 
requisite  social  conscience  and  civic  purpose  to  guar- 
antee to  the  city  efficiency  in  municipal  government. 


52 


The  Comptroller's  Department 

The  City's  Business  Reduced  to  Method  and  Science 

The  comptroller  is  the  city's  bookkeeper. 

The  comptroller's  department,  therefore,  reflects 
the  degree  of  method  and  system  as  well  as  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  city  government. 

Yet  the  Social-Democrats  found  that  this  depart- 
ment had  been  running  in  a  rut.  For  years  practically 
nothing  has  been  don^  to  improve  the  city's  accounting 
methods. 

When  City  Comptroller  Carl  P.  Dietz  was  elected  he 
.took  his  office  with  a  determination  that  Milwaukee 
should  have  an  accounting  system  which  would  be  on 
a  par  with  any  large  modern  corporation. 

First  of  all  he  set  out  to  locate  the  best  public  ac- 
countant and  systematizer  to  be  had.  This  man  he 
found  in  Leslie  S.  Everts,  whom  he  appointed  as  dep- 
uty comptroller. 

Big  Rose  Deficit  Discovered 

The  first  accomplishment  of  importance  was  the 
issuing  of  a  statement  of  the  condition  of  the  city's 
finances,  showing  that  on  April  19,  1910,  when  the 
Social-Democratic  administration  assumed  control,  the 
former  Rose  administration  had  left  an  accumulated 
deficit  of  $166,064.78  in  the  general  city  fund,  and  that 
in  addition  to  this  there  were  $50,751.49  of  uncollected 
taxes  which  were  worthless,  but  were  carried  on  the 
books  as  so  much  value.  This  made  a  total  deficit  of 
$216,816.27. 

SCIENTIFIC  BUDGET  INTRODUCED 

Milwaukee  to  the  Front 

Having  determined  the  actual  condition  of  the 
city's  financial  affairs,  the  next  big  thing  was  the  intro- 
duction of  the  new  scientific  budget  to  take  the  place 

S3 


of  the  scraps  of  letter  and  note  paper  which,  had  previ- 
ously been  the  basis  of  the  old  Rose  budgets. 

The  new  seientific  budget  required  the  departments 
to  show  in  the  minutest  detail  the  purposes  for  which 
the  moneys  they  sought  to  have  appropriated  to  them 
were  to  be  spent,  so  that  the  Board  of  Estimates  and 
common  council  had  intelligent  information  on  which 
to  base  their  appropriations.  Under  the  old  methods 
the  appropriations  were  made  in  "lump  sums"  without 
any  detailed  supporting  schedules.  They  were  prac- 
tically guesswork. 

The  Old  Way  and  the  New 


^The  Old  Budget  and  the  New  ScientiflEc  Budget  Introduced] 
by  the  Social-Democrats 

Milwaukee's  budget  now  takes  front  rank  with- the 
budgets  of  American  cities  and  has  been  lauded  by 
expert  public  accountants  from  various  parts  of  the 
United  States. 


54 


Budget  Control  Established 

In  addition  to  giving  detailed  information  for  the 
making  of  just  appropriations  to  the  departments,  the 
new  budget  enables  the  comptroller  to  exercise  com- 
plete control  over  the  expenditure  of  city  moneys. 
Under  the  old  methods  this  was  a  practical  impossi- 
bility. It  was  the  lack  of  such  control  that  made  pos- 
sible the  deficit  already  referred  to. 

First  Inventory  of  City  Property 

Every  real  business  man  takes  an  inventory  of  his 
property  at  least  once  a  year.  But  Milwaukee  has 
been  running  along  for  years  and  years  and  no  one 
had  taken  sufficient  interest  to  ascertain  the  amount  of 
property  the  city  actually  owned.  This,  like  the  old 
budget  appropriations,  was  simply  a  matter  of  guess- 
work. 

Under  Comptroller  Dietz's  administration  the  comp- 
troller's office  compiled  the  first  complete  inventory  of 
city  property  Milwaukee  ever  had. 

Whereas  the  value  of  the  city's  property  had  been 
previously  '* guessed"  at  $31,000,000,  the  new  inven- 
tory, at  very  conservative  figures,  showed  its  value  to 
be  $42,969,075.48.  Thus  by  the  introduction  of  this 
additional  ''system"  the  city  was  placed  in  possession 
of  knowledge  of  nearly  $12,000,000  of  property  value 
more  than  had  been  previously  "guessed"  at. 

Property  Accountability  Established 
Nor  is  this  all.  The  new  inventory  enabled  the 
comptroller  to  know  just  what  property  each  depart- 
ment had  and  what  it  could  be  held  accountable  for. 
Formerly  this  was  unknown  and  property  of  the  city 
could  disappear  and  no  one  would  be  the  wiser.  At 
this  writing  the  second  inventory  is  being  taken. 

Inventories  become  valueless  if  not  revised  every 
year.  If  the  old  party  politicians,  with  their  slipshod 
methods,  were  allowed  to  regain  control  it  is  an  almost 
foregone  conclusion  that  this,  as  well  as  many  of  the 

55 


Introduced  by  the  Social  Democrats 


II 

' 

k 

K 

J 

The  First  Inventory  Milwaukee  Ever  Had 

other  important  new  features,  would  be  again  neglect- 
ed and  become  obsolete. 

The  Pay  Rolls 

Nineteen  different  styles  and  shapes  of  pay  rolls 
were  in  use  in  the  city  when  the  Socialists  took  hold. 
They  were  folded,  filed  in  a  manner  which  permitted 
of  easy  misplacement  and  loss,  were  not  uniform  as  to 
size  or  data  and  cost  nineteen  times  what  a  single  uni- 
form pay  roll  would  have  cost. 

The  comptroller's  office  also  revolutionized  this  un- 
methodical feature.  In  place  of  the  nineteen,  one  sin- 
gle pay  roll  was  devised,  which  embodies  every  feature 
of  the  old  and  in  addition  contains  distributing  fea- 
tures which  now  enable  one  to  determine  whether  the 
salaries  or  wages  went  to  pay  for  outlays,  operation  or 
maintenance.     The  new  pay  rolls  of  all  city  depart- 

56 


ments  are  now  bound  in  one  book  in  regular  indexed 
order,  permitting  of  ready  access,  a  guarantee  against 
misplacement  and  at  a  cost  of  one-nineteenth  the  old 
styles. 

THE    COMPTROLLER'S    BIG    ACCOMPLISHMENT 

New  and  Modern  Accounting  System  Introduced  and 

Established 

While  the  foregoing  innovations  in  the  comptroller's 
office  would  each  be  considered  an  achievement,  yet 
they  are  only  portions  of  the  real  big  accomplishment 
which  Comptroller  Dietz  set  out  to  secure  for  the  city, 
namely:  The  establishment  of  a  new  and  up-to-date 
accounting  system  such  as  is  used  by  all  large  private 
corporations. 

Untler  the  old  system  it  was  next  to  impossible  to 
tell  from  the  comptroller's  records  what  value  the  city 
was  receiving  from  the  various  departments  for  the 
money  spent  by  them.  For  example :  the  salaries  of 
all  the  departments  were  dumped  into  one  "salary  ac- 
count" instead  of  distributing  them  according  to  the 
various  departments  and  thereby  fixing  the  responsi- 
bility upon  the  individual  departments. 

Accounts  Should  Fix  Responsibility. 

There  are  two  important  facts  which  the  accounting 
records  of  a  city  should  bring  out.  In  the  first  place 
they  should  be  so  arranged  as  to  localize  charges  to  a 
particular  field  controlled  by  an  individual  and  thereby 
develop  individual  responsibility.  They  should  place 
in  the  hands  of  the  comptroller  sufficient  information 
on  the  basis  of  gross  cost  to  permit  him  to  compare  one 
individual  with  another  in  the  same  field  or  compare 
the  same  individual  with  himself  in  this  field  over  a 
term  of  years.  With  this  information  the  comptroller 
is  in  a  position  to  lay  before  the  individual  official  evi- 
dence which  will  prove  conclusively  whether  or  not  the 
said  official  is  or  is  not  making  good  from  the  stand- 
point of  economy. 

57 


In  the  second  place  the  accounts  should  be  so  de- 
veloped as  to  present  to  the  comptroller  a  logical  dis- 
tribution of  expense  in  each  of  these  localized  fields, 
or,  in  other  words,  in  the  field  for  which  the  individual 
is  responsible. 

Prior  to  1911  the  accounts  of  the  city  of  Milwaukee 
had  been  organized  at  cross  purposes. 

For  instance,  the  city  had  a  so-called  salary  account, 
a  books  and  stationery  account,  an  advertising  and 
printing  account,  a  general  city  purpose  account,  and 
other  accounts  of  like  nature  all  accumulating  a  cer- 
tain class  of  information  in  groups  without  localizing 
the  responsibility  of  the  expense  to  any  particular  in- 
dividual, because  forty  or  fifty  different  people  might 
be  creating  expense  chargeable  into  these  general  ac- 
counts. 

On  the  other  hand  there  were  some  accounts  classi- 
fied by  departments,  such  as  the  fire  department,  po- 
lice department  and  the  health  department.  These 
departments,  however,  were  not  charged  with  their  full 
cost,  as  the  general  or  blanket  accounts  took  care  of 
such  matters  as  certain  salaries,  advertising,  printing, 
etc.  Such  departments  as  those  of  the  mayor,  comp- 
troller, city  treasurer,  city  attorney  and  the  like  were 
entirely  lost  sight  of.  In  about  one-half  of  the  depart- 
ments the  accounts  were  so  kept  that  it  was  practically 
impossible  to  segregate  them.  In  other  words,  the  rec- 
ords were  working  at  cross  purposes  and  gave  the 
comptroller  neither  the  cost  of  an  individual  depart- 
ment nor  the  entire  cost  of  a  particular  commodity  or 
service. 

To  avoid  this  the  accounts  are  now  grouped  by  de- 
partments, and  under  each  department  properly  classi- 
fied. In  this  way  it  is  possible  to  localize  expense  to 
the  individual  without  losing  the  possibility  of  deter- 
mining the  gross  amount  spent  for  any  kind  of  service. 
For  instance,  if  you  still  wish  to  know  the  total  cost  of 
advertising  and  printing,  this  can  be  obtained  by  foot- 
ing up  this  account  under  the  various  departments. 

58 


Shows  How  to  Locate  the  Leaks 

The  important  feature,  however,  in  organizing  any 
set  of  accounts  is  to  arrange  them  with  the  intent  of 
reducing  cost  or  making  the  individual  controlling  the 
expense  show  wherein  he  is  getting  a  dollar's  worth  for 
every  dollar.  There  is  only  one  way  to  do  this,  and 
that  is  to  localize  expense  by  departments.  This  has 
been  done  for  the  first  time  in  the  city  of  Milwaukee  in 
the  records  of  1911. 

It  would  probably  surprise  you  to  know  that  a 
great  corporation  like  the  city  of  Milwaukee  carrying 
on  activities  almost  as  great  and  varied  as  would  be 
found  in  ten  or  fifteen  private  corporations,  never  had 
any  individuality  in  its  ledgers  until  the  year  1911. 
There  was  one  ledger  which  was  a  combination  of  a" 
general  ledger  and  an  appropriation  ledger.  In  the 
back  part  of  this  book  were  certan  memoranda  reflect- 
ing with  more  or  less  accuracy  the  bonded  debt. 

The  Old  and  the  New  Methods  of  Filing  Pay  Rolls 


59 


Accounts  That  Really  Account  for  Things 

Believing  thoroughly  in  the  principle  of  control,  the 
comptroller  in  1911  had  developed  a  clean-cut  set  of 
ledgers,  each  reflecting  an  individuality  of  its  own.  In 
the  first  place  there  was  introduced  a  general  ledger, 

which  at  present  includes  the  capital  and  current  con- 
trolling accounts  of  the  city.  This  ledger  reflects  the 
condition  of  the  bonded  debt  in  contrast  to  the  prop- 
erty accounts  of  the  city,  which  never  appeared  upon 
the  ledgers  until  the  year  1911. 

The  subordinate  ledgers  which  dovetail  into  the 
controlling  accounts  in  the  general  ledger  are  as  fol- 
lows: (1)  Appropriation,  Revenue  and  Expense 
Ledger;  (2)  Interest  and  Sinking  Fund  Ledger;  (3) 
Bonded  Debt  Ledger ;  (4)  Miscellaneous  Liability  Ledg- 
er; (5)  Property  Accountability  Ledger  (being  devel- 
oped). 

The  introduction  of  this  new  accounting  system,  if 
done  under  contract  by  outside  systematizers,  would 
alone  have  cost  the  city  of  Milwaukee  many  thousands 
of  dollars. 

Summary  of  Accomplishments  of  Comptroller's  Office 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  various  things 
accomplished  in  the  comptroller's  office  during  the  last 
two  years: 

A— Greneral — 

1st.     Sold  Milwaukee  city  bonds  very  successfully. 

2d.  Dug  up  and  made  public  a  deficit  which  has 
been  accumulating  on  the  records  of  the  city  for  a 
number  of  years. 

3d.  Started  a  systematic  campaign  looking  toward 
public  education  in  matters  regarding  municipal 
finance. 

4th.  Brought  to  light  the  reason  why  the  city  loses 
from  $5,000  to  $10,000  annually  and  why  vendors  have 

6o 


to  wait  from  three  to  five  weeks  for  payment  of  bills, 
and  suggested  a  remedy. 

5tli.  Introduced  a  system  of  monthly  public  state- 
ments. 

B— In  Comptraller's  Department— 

1st.  Devised  and  introduced  suitable  records  mak- 
ing a  daily  check  on  the  cash  receipts  and  disburse- 
ments of  the  city  possible. 

2d.  Devised  and  introduced  a  plan  making  budget 
control  possible. 

3d.  Devised  and  introduced  a  set  of  distribution 
records,  making  it  possible  to  learn  the  object  of  pay- 
ment as  well  as  the  method  of  payment. 

4th.  Organized  the  accounts  on  the  basis  of  de- 
partments, thereby  placing  individual  responsibility. 
Did  away  with  blanket  appropriations  and  the  possi- 
bility of  covering  up  individual  transactions  by  ac- 
counting procedure. 

5th.  Introduced  a  set  of  clean  cut  ledgers,  such  as 
(a)  General  Ledger,  and  the  following  subordinate 
ledgers:  (b)  Property  Ledger  (being  developed) ;  (c) 
Bonded  Debt  Ledger;  (d)  Miscellaneous  Liability 
Ledger;  (e)  Revenue,  Expense  and  Appropriation 
Ledger;  (f)  Interest  and  Sinking  Fund  Ledger;  (g) 
Trust  Fund  Ledger. 

6th.  Devised  and  introduced  an  accurate  system 
for  checking  pay  rolls,  making  duplication  of  payments 
of  the  same  individual  practically  impossible,  and  de- 
veloping at  the  same  time  an  employes'  directory, 
which  made  this  section  of  the  city  records  an  open 
book  for  reference. 

7th.  Devised  and  introduced  a  uniform  set  of  reg- 
isters for  the  purpose  of  promoting  continual  harmony 
between  the  controlling  accounts  in  the  general  and 
subordinate  ledgers. 

8th.  Devised  and  introduced  a  system  for  check- 
ing city  markets  and  city  scales. 

6i 


C— Co-operative  with  Other  Departments— 

1st.     Devised  and  introduced  a  scientific  budget. 

2d.  Devised  the  records  and  promoted  the  first 
complete  inventory  the  city  of  Milwaukee  has  ever  had. 

3d.  Devised  and  introduced  internal  records  in  the 
purchasing  department. 

4th.  Devised  and  introduced  all  instruments  of 
transfer  in  connection  with  purchases,  including  dupli- 
cate sub-departmental  requisition;  duplicate  depart- 
mental requisition,  both  regular  and  emergency;  quo- 
tation sheets;  shortage  requisition;  a  quadruplicate 
purchase  order,  both  regular  and  confirmation,  and 
triplicate  voucher  bill. 

5th.  Devised  and  introduced  a  uniform  system  of 
pay  rolls,  standard  as  to  size,  data  and  distribution, 
thereby  doing  away  with  nineteen  various  forms,  irreg- 
ular in  size,  filed  by  folding,  lacking  in  distribution  and 
generally  unsatisfactory. 

6th.  Devised  and  introduced  a  quadruplicate  mis- 
cellaneous accounts  receivable  form,  shortening  both 
the  internal  and  external  work  connected  with  the 
same,  effecting  an  estimated  saving  of  $1,000  annually. 

7th.  Devised  and  introduced  a  quadruplicate  serv- 
ice transfer  voucher,  making  scientific  records  of  inter- 
departmental affairs  possible. 

8th.  Introduced  a  system  of  consecutively  number- 
ing all  forms  developed  in  the  operation  of  the  city 
government  for  the  purpose  of  ready  reference,  pre- 
venting duplication  and  waste  throughout  the  various 
departments. 

9th.  Devised  and  introduced  a  combination  daily 
and  monthly  time  record  for  individual  employes  in 
the  wards. 

10th.  Devised  and  introduced  a  uniform  triplicate 
recoi-d  of  sewer  and  street  certificates,  making  mani- 
folding work  possible,  thereby  saving  about  14,000  en- 
tries, many  of  which  covered  complicated  descriptions. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  more  improvements  have  been 
introduced  under  Comptroller  Dietz  in  the  year  and 

62 


three-quarters  in  which  he  has  been  in  office  than  had 
been  introduced  by  all  the  comptrollers  combined  dur- 
ing the  last  fifteen  years. 

The  city  of  Milwaukee  cannot  afford  to  go  back- 
ward. There  are  still  several  matters  which  should,  be 
improved,  but  which  it  has  been  impossible  so  far  to 
reach.  Those  who  believe  in  progress  will  not  hesitate 
long  in  deciding  what  should  be  done  at  the  coming 
election. 

The  voter  should  not  forget 

That  loose,  slipshod  accounting  hides  waste,  con- 
ceals the  leaks  and  encourages  graft ; 

That  clear,  systematic  and  rigid  accounting  shows 
where  the  waste  is,  locates  leaks  and  helps  to  block  the 
grafter. 

Municipal  Ownership  a  Success 

Over  in  Holland,  Mich.,  a  little  city  of  10,000  inhabi- 
tants, the  citizens  are  wise  in  their  generation. 

They  established  a  municipal  electric  lighting  plant 
'way  back  in  1894-5.  The  total  earnings  of  this  plant 
since  established  are  $464,682.89. 

The  net  operating  revenues  last  year  were  $23,225.88, 
after  allowing  for  all  expenses  of  operation,  for  depre- 
ciation and  taxes. 

Twenty-three  thousand  dollars  profit  a  year  is  not 
so  bad  for  a  small  plant.  And  this  goes  to  the  city— to 
the  people  instead  of  into  the  pockets  of  the  Wall  Street 
capitalists.  Moreover,  this  electric  lighting  plant  in 
Holland  has  been  making  a  profit  for  the  people  of 
that  city  ever  since  1894.  The  gross  earnings  have 
ranged  from  $5,000  the  first  year  to  $65,000  last  year. 


63 


City  Attorney's  Department 

City's  Legal  Battles  Well  Fought 

Nothing  is  more  essential  to  the  success  of  an  ad- 
ministration than  a  live,  intelligent  and  effective  legal 
department. 

This  the  administration  was  fortunate  enough  to 
secure.  With  Daniel  W.  Hoan  at  the  head,  and  a  staff 
of  aggressive  young  men,  each  with  a  special  personal 
ability,  and  all  working  together  in  team  work,  the 
members  of  this  department  have  been  one  of  the  splen- 
did surprises  of  the  administration. 

The  following  partial  list  of  the  activities  of  this 
department  gives  something  of  an  idea  of  the  immense 
amount  of  work  handled: 

1.  When  the  city  attorney  took  office  he  found 
over  one  hundred  old  lawsuits,  involving  over  $1,000,- 
000,  pending  against  the  city  in  the  courts,  some  of 
which  were  over  seventeen  years  old. 

So  far  almost  one-half  of  these  have  been  brought 
on  for  hearing,  with  the  result  that  the  city  was  only 
assessed  about  5  per  cent  of  the  total  damages  claimed. 

2.  Fought  the  street  railway  company  and  com- 
pelled that  corporation  for  the  first  time  to  sprinkle  the 
streets  between  its  tracks  in  accordance  with  an  ordi- 
nance. 

3.  Fought  the  street  railway  company  and  com- 
pelled that  corporation  for  the  first  time  to  pay  under 
protest  yearly  license  fees  of  $15  per  year  per  car, 
amounting  in  all  to  over  $9,000  a  year. 

4.  Entered  suit  against  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L.  Company 
for  the  payment  of  $72,000  of  back  license  fees. 

5.  Started  suit  against  street  railway  company  to 
compel  it  to  pay  for  pavement  between  tracks  in  ac- 
cordance with  franchise  provisions. 

6.  Won  the  case  against  the  steam  railroads  com- 
pelling them  to  pay  for  pavement  next  to  their  tracks, 
amounting  this  year  to  about  $12,000. 

64 


7.  Won  proceedings  for  cross-town  lines  with  par- 
tial double  transfers. 

8.  Active  prosecution  of  cases  brought  by  other  de- 
partments, involving  housing,  health,  sanitation,  smoke 
nuisance,  weights  and  measures,  selling  of  liquor  to 
minors,  loan  sharks,  and  illegal  employment  offices. 

Street  Gar  Sprinkler 


Forced  Into  Use  by  the  Social-Democrats 

9.  Challenge  of  '^ peculiar"  assessment  methods  of 
Tax  Commissioner  Schutz. 

10.  Refusal  to  prosecute  strikers  for  the  use  of  the 
word  "scab"  applied  to  strikebreakers. 

11.  Average  yearly  amount  of  settlements  for  dam- 
ages reduced  from  $42,000  to  $9,000. 

12.  Prepared  more  than  forty  bills  submitted  to 
the  legislature  giving  the  city  wider  powers  in  the  di- 
rection of  home  rule. 

13.  Fought  for  the  dissolution  of  an  injunction  re- 
straining the  city  from  employing  tax  ferrets.  Suc- 
ceeded in  dissolving  temporary  injunction. 


14.  Defeated  the  attempt  to  declare  the  creation  of 
the  commissioner  of  public  works  office  and  all  his  pub- 
lic work  illegal. 

15.  Successfully  defended  the  city  against  a  seiz- 
ure of  land  on  which  refuse  incinerator  is  located,  the 
suit  involving  over  $50,000. 

16.  Successfully  sustained,  before  supreme  court, 
the  ordinance  requiring  tuberculin  test  of  all  milk. 

Much  Work  Handled 

Under  former  administrations  cases  against  power- 
ful public  utilities  were  dodged,  delayed,  neglected. 
''Tomorrow  and  tomorrow  and  tomorrow"  seemed  to 
be  the  motto.  Frank  M.  Hoyt  and  other  well  known 
corporation  lawyers  used  to  win  their  cases  hands 
down.  If  Hoyt  lost  a  case  it  was  the  exception.  Now 
it  has  become  the  rule  for  these  men  to  lose.  If  they 
win  nowadays  it  is  by  hard  work. 

Many  Laws  Drawn 

Most  of  the  ordinances  and  legal  proceedings  of  the 
council  have  to  be  passed  through  the  city  attorney's 
office. 

The  ordinances  relating  to  lifting  jacks,  cleaning  ot 
street  cars,  engineers'  licenses,  elevator  operators'  li- 
censes, the  eight  hour  day  on  all  city  work  by  contract- 
ors, sanitary  factory  inspection,  and  other  measures 
were  all  carefully  drawn  in  the  city  attorney's  oft'ice 
and  contain  no  jokers. 

Got  State  Commission's  Opinion 

It  was  a  bold  step  on  the  part  of  the  city  attorney  to 
call  the  attention  of  the  state  tax  commission  to  assess- 
ments in  Tax  Commissioner  Schutz's  office,  which  indi- 
cated that  the  tax  office  policy  was  to  ''soak"  the  small 
properties  with  full  value  assessments,  while  the  big 
ones  were  let  off  easy. 

Tax  Commissioner  Schutz  held  that  the  stock  of 
foreign  corporations  was  not  to  be  assessed.  Hoan 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  state  tax  commission 

66 


the  case  of  the  Hamburger  Estate  and  stock  in  a  for- 
eign corporation,  the  Gimbel  Brothers  Company,  worth 
$650,000.  This  $650,000  was  not  assessed  by  Schutz. 
The  opinion  of  the  state  tax  commission,  known  to  have 
been  prepared  with  unusual  care,  stated  that  the  stock 
of  a  foreign  corporation  held  in  "Wisconsin  should  be 
assessed  and  that  any  doubt  should  be  resolved  in  favor 
of  the  city. 

By  the  escape  of  this  one  estate  from  taxation  an 
added  load  of  $40,000  is  thrown  on  the  small  home 
owners.  And  it  is  the  claim  of  the  Social-Democrats 
that  through  the  escape  of  this  and  other  similar  estates 
from  taxation  a  load  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dol- 
lars is  thrown  on  the  small  taxpayers. 

Reduced  Settlement  of  Claims 
Just  from  the  standpoint  of  efficiency,  getting  things 
done,  a  remarkable   record  has  been  made.     For  the 
five  years  previous  to  the  entrance  of  City  Attorney 
Ho  an  and  his  staff  the  average  yearly  amount  of  settle- 
Street  Car  Co.  Pays  License 


^   815.00 


SrpREt^^-      CAR     LfCENQt?     '    ^ 

MILWAUKEE.     .-^'pAID'" 


Cbis  is  to  Ccrttt? 


.A^'i^Al&^'P 


$15  perjYearXfor  Each  Gar 

^7 


ments  for  damages  in  suits  against  the  city  was  $42,- 
000.     This  has  been  cut  to  $9,000. 
Track  Elevation 

Hoan  has  wrested  from  the  state  railroad  commis- 
sion a  decision  that  all  main  grade  crossings  on  the 
south  side  must  be  abolished.  It  is  expected  that  actual 
work  on  elevating  the  tracks  will  be  ordered  by  the 
commission  this  spring. 

The  northwest  side  track  elevation  matter  has  been 
decided  in  favor  of  the  city,  and  it  is  now  up  to  the 
railroad  commission  to  order  the  work  done. 

Financial  Journal  Tells  of  Milwaukee  Business 

The  Economist,  the  leading  financial  author- 
ity of  Chicago,  in  speaking  of  the  bank  and  general 
business  in  Milwaukee,  says: 

"The  past  year  in  Milwaukee  financial  circles 
has  generally  been  described  as  a  successful  one, 
and  bank  clearing  loans  and  business  as  a  whole 
have  shown  gratifying  advances. 

"The  outlook  for  spring  in  the  Milwaukee 
banking  business  is  declared  to  be  good. 

"Bank  clearings  for  1911  were  $696,732,779,- 
15,  as  against  $658,002,572.42  in  1910.  This  was 
an  increase  of  $38,730,206.73  in  1911. 

"Municipal  bonds  to  the  total  of  $1,710,000 
were  issued  by  the  City  of  Milwaukee  in  1911, 
and  all  of  them,  with  the  single  exception  of  a 
block  of  school  bonds  totaling  $470,000  at  4  per 
cent,  were  sold  above  par.  The  school  bonds 
were  sold  above  par.  A  total  premium  of  $471,- 
195.23  was  realized  by  the  city  on  the  1911  budget 
of  bonds.  The  buyers  were  located  in  Milwaukee 
and  Boston  and  the  disposal  of  bonds  between 
the  TWO  cities  was  about  equal.      *.  o-s  ^^ 

"The  Social-Democratic  party  now  in  power 
in  Milwaukee  has  done  much  to  revolutionize 
the  finances  of  the  city  and  greatly  improved  the 
system  of  caring  for  the  properties  of  the  municip- 
ality. f| 

"Building  activities  have  been  brisk  in  Milwau- 
kee during  the  past  year.  The  cost  has  been  esti- 
mated by  city  officials  at  $12,299,000 

"The  Socialist  party  has  done  much  to  put 
the  city  on  a  comprehensive,  solid  footing,  and 
has  brought  order  out  of  chaos,  especially  where 
the  finances  of  the  municipality  are  concerned." 

68 


City  Treasurer's  Department 

A  New  Era  in  City  Finances 


By  putting  Charles  B.  Whitnall  in  charge  of  the 
City  Treasurer's  Department  of  the  city  the  Social- 
Democratic  administration  gave  full  guarantee  that 
the  financial  affairs  of  the  city  would  be  carefully  and 
safely  handled. 

The  reappointment  of  Messrs.  Drew  and  McLaugh- 
lin to  the  positions  which  they  had  held  for  years  was 
one  of  the  illustrations  of  the  Socialist  purpose  to  keep 
those  employes  who  had  done  their  work  faithfully. 

A  number  of  important  improvements  have  been  in- 
troduced by  Mr.  Whitnall  in  the  Treasurer's  Depart- 
ment. Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  new  method  of  paying  the  ward  foremen. 

Formerly  about  750  city  employes  would  spend 
from  one  to  four  hours  each  month  going  to  the  city 
hall  for  their  pay.  This  involved  a  loss  of  their  time. 
During  a  year  this  meant  many  hundreds  of  hours  and 
a  loss  of  many  hundreds  of  dollars.  Mr.  Whitnall  in- 
troduced the  custom  of  sending  the  city  paymaster  out 
to  the  wards  with  the  checks  for  the  men. 

The  total  saving,  estimating  the  time  as  above,  on 
this  item  alone,  would  be  nearly  $6,000  per  year. 

The  Time  for  Paying"  Taxes  Extended 

Another  improvement  introduced  by  Mr.  Whitnall 
was  the  extension  of  the  tax  paying  time. 

The  city  collects  all  taxes  on  or  before  February  1. 
Much  of  the  money  is  not  needed  until  August  1.  So 
the  city  deposits  the  money  in  banks  and  draws  2  per 
cent  interest  on  it.  Meanwhile  the  citizen  must  pay 
the  taxes  by  the  1st  of  February.  Many  are  unable  to 
pay,  particularly  as  the  taxes  come  due  at  a  time  when 
the  expenses  of  living  are  highest.  Consequently  such 
citizens  have  but  one  way  out.     They  sell  their  tax  re- 

69 


ceipts  to  the  tax  sharks.  It  costs  them  15  per  cent  to 
get  their  taxes  paid  in  this  way. 

Mr.  Whitnall's  plan,  which  was  put  into  operation 
for  the  first  time  this  year,  was  to  have  the  city  extend 
the  time  for  paying  the  taxes  for  a  period  of  six 
months.  This  means  virtually  to  make  the  citizen  a 
loan.     On  the  loan  the  city  draws  6  per  cent  interest. 

In  this  way  the  citizen  saves  the  difference  between 
15  per  cent,  which  it  costs  him  to  get  his  taxes  paid 
through  the  tax  shark,  and  6  per  cent,  the  amount  he 
pays  to  the  city  for  the  privilege  of  having  his  time 
extended.  And  on  the  basis  of  the  previous  year's  ex- 
perience, this  means  a  saving  to  the  citizens  of  $54,050. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  city  is  also  a  gainer,  for  it 
saves  the  difference  between  2  per  cent,  the  amount 
which  the  city  draws  on  the  money  which  it  deposits  in 
the  banks,  and  6  per  cent,  the  amount  which  it  draws 
from  its  citizens  who  take  advantage  of  the  extension 
of  time  and  pay  the  city  the  6  per  cent  interest  for  the 
privilege.  And  this,  on  the  experience  of  the  previous 
year,  would  amount  to  $50,000. 

Thus  this  one  plan  of  the  city  treasurer  has  saved 
the  city  what  would  amount  to  its  citizens,  $54,050. 

And  in  order  to  accomplish  this  it  was  necessary 
first  to  formulate  and  secure  from  the  state  legislature 
the  necessary  change  in  state  laws.  Yet  all  this  was 
accomplished  within  the  period  of  this  administration. 

Taking-  Care  of  the  City's  Property 

Another  illustration  of  the  diligence  of  the  City 
Treasurer's  Department  is  shown  in  the  attention  given 
to  neglected  tax  certificates.  During  the  last  fifteen 
years  tax  certificates  on  a  great  many  pieces  of  prop- 
erty have  reverted  to  the  city.  Former  administra- 
tions have  given  no  attention  to  this  matter.  Mr. 
Whitnall,  however,  has  had  them  all  carefully  desig- 
nated, photographs  of  the  property  taken,  and  all  evi- 
dence turned  over  to  the  city  attorney.  This  will  en- 
able the  city  either  to  secure  the  taxes  due  it  on  this 
property,  or  else  to  get  hold  of  the  property  itself. 

7o 


The  total  values  involved  in  this  property  are  esti- 
mated at  $37,000. 

Bold  Plans  for  the  Public  Welfare 

But  these  plans  of  the  city  treasurer  are  only  begin- 
nings of  the  possibilities  which  he  is  uncovering  for  the 
city.  Other  plans  which  will  require  legislation  from 
Madison,  but  which  carry  with  them  great  possibilities 
for  public  financiering,  have  been  proposed.  The  plan 
proposed  is  outlined  in  the  party  platform.  This  might 
be  presented  as  follows: 

A  LESSON  IN  PUBLIC  ECONOMY 
BY  CITY  TREASURER  WHITNALL 

Milwaukee  is  using  about  $10,000,000  of 

borrowed  money. 
The  city  pays  4  per  cent  interest. 

Whitnall's  plan- 
Deposit  city  bonds  with  state  treasurer  as 

security. 
Put  cit}^  treasurer  under  supervision   of 

bank  examiner. 
Then  let  the  citizens  deposit  their  savings 

in  the  city  treasury. 
Pay  3  per  cent  and  save  the  city  1  per 

cent  on  every  dollar  every  year. 
Total  savings  possible,  $100,000  per  year. 
Of   course,    before    this    plan    can    be    carried    out 
enabling  legislation  will  have  to  be  secured  from  the 
legislature.     But  Mr.  Whitnall  argues  in  this  w^se : 

"Although  the  municipal  ownership  of  public  utili- 
ties is  understood  and  advocated  by  many,  it  seems 
strange  indeed  that  the  one  central  necessity  with 
which  all  enterprises,  of  whatever  nature,  must  func- 
tion, has  never  been  put  forward  as  a  public  utility, 
namely :     the  city  treasury. 

"The  city  of  Milwaukee,  a  forty  million  dollar  cor- 
poration, with  an  annual  income  of  more  than  fifteen 
millions,  and  in  need  of  various  important  improve- 
ments requisite  for  the  general  welfare,  which  improve- 

71 


New  Methods  of  Paying  City  Employes 


r 

■^ 

# 

,f^.^^,. 

■.J 

*  '^^^^Ms  ^a|f|M|^B|ir«iiKl 

i 

1^^ 

*-. 

^pp^ 

k 

J 

Municipal  Pay  Master 

ments,  if  carefully  promoted,  will  all  be  self-support- 
ing, should  have  the'  same  facilities  for  doing  business 
that  are  easily  obtained  by  any  financial  institution." 

There  would  be  a  number  of  advantages  to  such  a 
plan.  In  the  first  place,  it  would  give  the  people  a 
safe  place  to  deposit  their  savings.  In  the  second  place, 
it  would  enable  the  city  to  secure  its  borrowed  money 
at  a  lower  rate  of  interest  and  it  would  keep  the  money 
at  home  and  prevent  many  thousands  of  dollars  going 
east  twice  a  year  to  eastern  capitalists  who  have  no 
care  for  our  city  except  to  exploit  it. 

This,  together  with  the  discretionary  power  placed 
in  the  Debt  Commission  to  discount  contractors'  certifi- 
cates, improvement  bonds,  etc.,  and  for  the  city  to  issue 
to  itself  tax  certificates  instead  of  farming  out  the 
profits  to  tax  sharks,  would  put  the  city  in  a  position 
where  it  could  do  all  its  own  banking.  It  would  put 
the  city  on  the  same  footing  as  any  large  corporation. 

72 


The  City  Its  Own  Banker 

Back  of  every  hig  concern  is  a  bank. 

The  city  should  be  its  own  banker. 

Wherever  the  people  are  saving  their  pennies  and 
dimes  for  a  rainy  day  there  also  the  capitalistic  system 
is  at  work.  The  papers  advertise  persistently  how  the 
people  can  get  rich  quick  by  depositing  their  little 
savings  with  this  bank  or  that  bank  and  draw  their  2 
per  cent  or  3  per  cent  interest. 

In  this  way  the  network  of  savings  banks  draws 
from  the  people  themselves,  in  thousands  of  small 
amounts,  at  low  rates  of  interest,  the  money  to  finance 
their  capitalistic  projects  of  exploitation. 

The  people  themselves  thus  supply  the  capitalist 
class  the  very  funds  by  which  they  are  afterward  ex- 
ploited. 

The  people  recognize,  in  a  vague  way,  the  great 
power  of  money.    But  they  fail  to  see  that  the  people 

A  Glimpse  of  the  Upper  Milwaukee  River 


Whitnall  Wants  to  Keep  It  for  the  City 


73 


themselves,  who  suffer  from  the  capitalistic  exploita- 
tion, are  the  very  ones  who,  b}^  scrimping  and  saving 
and  turning  their  deposits  over  to  these  banks,  supply 
the  big  corporations  with  the  means  of  getting  back 
at  them. 

By  acquiring  the  legal  right  demanded  in  the  finan- 
cial plank  of  the  Social-Democratic  party  the  city  will 
be  able  to  virtually  establish  a  municipal  bank.  The 
security  will  be  far  superior  to  that  of  the  average 
savings  bank ;  the  people  would  draw  the  same  interest 
on  their  savings;  but,  more  important  than  all,  the 
exploiting  power  of  their  accumulations  in  the  munici- 
pal bank  would  revert  to  the  collective  benefit  of  the 
people  in  the  reduction  of  their  burdens  instead  of,  as 
now,  to  the  capitalistic  exploitation. 

DEFINITIONS  OF  SOCIAIilSM. 


Standard  Dictionary. 

"Socialism  is  a  theory  of  civil  polity  that  aims  to  secure 
the  reconstruction  of  society,  increase  of  wealth,  and  a 
more  equal  distribution  of  the  products  of  labor,  through 
the  collective  ownership  of  land  and  capital,  and  the  pub- 
lic collective  management  of  all  industries.  Its  motto  is 
everyone  according  to  his  deeds."  (This  same  definition, 
word  for  word,  is  given  in  the  Standard  Encyclopedia.) 
^  ^  ^ 

Webster's  International  Dictionary. 

"Socialism:  A  theory  or  system  of  social  reform  which 
contemplates  a  complete  reconstruction  of  society,  with  a 
more  just  and  equitable  distribution  of  property  and  labor." 


American  Year-Book,  Cyclopedia  and  Atlas. 

"No  word  has  been  more  abused  and  misunderstood 
than  the  word  'Socialist.'  The  Socialist  is  not  an  anarchist; 
they  are  opposed  in  theory  and  practice.  The  Socialist  does 
not  propose  to  destroy  the  family,  abolish  religion  or  divide 
up  property,  nor  does  he  seek  to  carry  out  his  ideas  by 
riot  and  bloodshed.  In  a  single  phrase.  Socialism  means 
public  ownership  of  the  means  of  production  and  working 
class  control  of  the  government,  a  chance  to  work  for  all 
who  will,  and  to  all  workers  the  full  value  of  their  product." 

74 


The  Health  Department 

A  New  Regime  in  the  People's  Battle  for 
Better  Conditions 


The  public  health,  is  the  most  vital  concern  of  the 
people. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  Social-Democrats  have 
"made  good."     The  record  is  surprising. 

The  following  table  tells  a  part  of  the  story.  In 
reading  the  table  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 
official  estimated  population  of  the  city  grew  from 
373,857  in  1910,  to  383,000'  in  1911.  In  view  of  that 
increase  in  population,  the  reduction  of  cases  in  every 
contagious  disease  is  striking.  Milwaukee  has  never 
in  recent  times  experienced  a  year  of  better  health. 

Remarkable  Reduction  of  Contagious  Diseases  Preva- 
lent in  Milwaukee,  as  Shown  by  the  Official  Records 

1910,  1911,     Reduction, 

cases  cases  cases 

Scarlet  fever 1852  1444  408 

Diphtheria    1147  823  324 

Typhoid    fever •  1605  561  1044 

Measles    2042  749  1293 

Smallpox 61  10               51 

Whooping  cough 461  231  230 

Tuberculosis    893  762  131 

But  that  is  not  all. 

The  Social-Democrats  have  greatly  increased  the 
functions  and  the  efficiency  of  the  Health  Department. 
In  spite  of  the  bitterest  opposition ;  in  spite  of  desper- 
ate measures  resorted  to  by  certain  elements  of  the 
opposition,  the  administration  has  pulled  this  depart- 
ment out  of  its  ruts  and  put  it  on  a  standard  of  effi- 
ciency that  it  never  has  known  before. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  the  administration 
an  effort  was  made  to  secure  a  man  of  national  reputa- 

75 


Health^^Department's  Display  at  the  Municipal  Exhibit 

tion  and  of  the  highest  standing  in  sanitary  science  to 
head  this  department.  And  such  a  man  was  found. 
The  desperate  measures  by  which  he  was  driven  out  of 
town  need  not  be  repeated  here. 

In  January,  1911,  Dr.  Frederick  A.  Kraft  was  se- 
lected by  the  Social-Democrats  to  fill  the  position.  This 
time  they  took  a  local  man  and  one  of  their  own  num- 
ber— a  Social-Democrat.  The  same  bitter  feeling  of 
opposition  to  the  administration  manifested  itself  and 
has  continued  to  do  so.  But  this  time  the  woi:k  has 
gone  forward  steadily. 

Upon  assuming  control  Dr.  Kraft  began  at  once  a 
series  of  important  and  decided  improvements. 

Increased  Force  and  Efficiency 

First  of  all,  it  was  found  that  the  rapidly  increas- 
ing territory  of  the  city  was  not  being  properly  covered 
by  the  force  of  sanitary  inspectors.  For  several  years 
it  has  been  apparent  that  health  inspectors  covering 
three  or  four  wards  could  not  hope  to  effectively  main- 

76 


tain  quarantine,  sanitation,  and  otherwise  guard  the 
public  against  the  health  menaces  that  must  arise  in 
every  section  of  the  city. 

Accordingly,  in  1911,  ten  sanitary  inspectors  were 
added  to  the  force.  This  made  it  possible  for  the  de- 
partment to  redistrict  the  city  and  place  a  health  in- 
spector in  each  ward.  Thus  the  homes  under  quaran- 
tine can  be  more  properly  watched,  and  a  higher  stand- 
ard of  sanitary  conditions  maintained.  Alleys,  back 
yards,  cellars,  garbage  cans,  and  a  host  of  other  details 
attended  to  by  the  sanitary  inspector  can  now  receive 
his  proper  attention. 

Factory  Inspection  ^ 

One  of  the  entirely  new  features  introduced  by  the 
administration  is  the  factory  inspection  work.  It  is 
felt  that  no  part  of  the  task  of  caring  for  the  public 
health  is  more  important  than  that  of  the  working  con- 
ditions in  factories,  stores  and  shops. 

Dust  Laden  Atmosphere  in  Bag  Factory 


t. '  'Ztv'''Wim 

^li  i    ■  III  iiiT—i 

'-■"' ;jS| 

|ife:-v;:;::;^.^.,,;,;     ■■.;-^mmm 'vlm ''i ws;iij^^#;?- 

An  Evil  the  Health  Department  is  Correcting 

77 


During  the  closing  months  of  1910  and  the  early 
months  of  1911  a  factory  inspection  force  in  the  Health 
Department  was  established.  This  force  is  made  up 
of  four  men  and  one  woman.  These  two  members  of 
of  four  men  and  one  woman.  These  five  members  of 
the  department  undertook  factory  inspection  as  an  en- 
tirely new  phase  of  municipal  health  activity  in  Mil- 
waukee. Without  precedent  to  guide  them,  and  with- 
out previous  experience  to  shape  their  work,  they  made 
51,357  inspections  in  1,147  different  factories.  In  each 
of  these  factories  some  form  of  improvement  was  or- 
dered. These  improvements  ranged  from  the  simple 
installation  of  a  ventilator  to  the  rebuilding  of  toilet 
facilities. 

Through  the  factory  inspection  force  the  evils  in 
the  Menomonee  Valley  situation  were  investigated. 
Orders  were  served  against  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  Railway  Company  to  stop  its  custom  of  burn- 
ing immense  amounts  of  rubbish,  which  created  a  seri- 
ous stench  and  smoke  nuisance.  And  finally  a  criminal 
action  in  the  Municipal  Court  was  instituted.  The 
company  thereafter  made  determined  efforts  to  put  out 
the  fires  that  caused  the  trouble. 

The  Semet-Solvay  coke  works,  against  which  South 
Side  residents  had  made  complaint  for  years,  was  de- 
clared a  source  of  nuisance,  and  orders  were  served  to 
correct  the  evil.  Court  injunction  prevented  final 
action. 

Bakeries,  sweat  shops,  manufacturing  plants  of 
every  kind  and  newspaper  offices  have  been  inspected 
and  improvements  ordered.  Better  ventilation  was 
provided  in  downtown  playhouses,  and  nickel  theaters 
received  particular  attention. 

Dangerous  machinery  is  being  better  guarded,  em- 
ery wheels  protected,  ventilating  and  heating  systems 
installed,  devices  for  removing  dust,  smoke  and  acid 
fumes  provided,  and  innumerable  minor  improvements 
made.  In  short,  a  remarkable  and  rapid  improvement 
of  all  conditions  of  labor  is  going  on  all  along  the  line. 

78 


The  thoroughness  and  extent  of  this  work  may  be 
judged  by  a  glance  at  the  accompanying  table : 

Suction   systems   installed 55 

Ozone   machines    5 

Hoods  for  gas,  smoke  and  acid  fumes 

New  toilets  at  factories 

Repaired  toilets  at  factories 

Privy  vaults  abolished . 

Bubblers  installed,  from  600  to 

Emery  wheels  and  machinery  guarded,  factories 

Plumbing,  defective— repaired,  factories 

Heatinor  installed,  factories 


18 
54 
91 
30 
800 
65 
22 
5 


Hood  to  Remove  Smoke  and  Fumes 


|||||^:|||g^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

H^       f 

igS-v 

■^H^"                            iiglJfp                         % 

'""^■■liii 

^Biiiii^^    ^nm 

m^m 

■hh  '     ^^H 

^   ^^^^^J 

iiiii^^KlSiii^ 

»:;zw 

Htafe^Tr^^  '      1 

"Miiii-^^-S^                                  III     -m&ff Jj 

Eighteenllnstalled  by  Order  of  Health  Department  this  Year 


79 


Ventilating  Fan — A  Great  Help  in  Working  Places 


Fifty-five  Installed  by  Order  of  the  Health  Dept.  this  Year 

Nuisance  remedied— odor,  smoke  and  noise,  fac- 
tories  •. .         12 

Report  defects  to  respective  departments 22 

Enforce  hours  of  labor  for  women 8 

Chaff  nuisance   abated 4 

New  floors  built 6 

Dark  rooms  improved  (photo) 14 

Shops  vacated 4 

Special  work— spitters,  etc.,  about.  ! 1000 

Sweatshops  inspected    .  . . 133 

Work  done  by  Miss  E.  Finch,  woman  factory  inspector: 
New  ventilation  systems  in  6  factories. 
Improvements  in  50  bakeries. 
Improvements  in  sweatshops,  133. 
Improvements  and  sanitary  changes  brought  in  a 

large  number  of  dressing  and  lunch  rooms. 
Skylights  ordered  and  installed  in  3  factories. 
New  water  closets  installed  in  5  laundries. 

8o 


Food  Inspection  Reorganized 

The  food  inspection  work  was  also  reorganized  and 
its  force  increased  by  three  new  men.  A  restaurant 
inspector  was  added  early  in  1911  and  two  general  food 
inspectors  added.  This  enabled  the  department  to  ex- 
tend its  work  so  that  included  not  merely  the  stock- 
yards and  Commission  Row,  as  had  been  the  caj^e  in 
former  years,  but  also  the  investigation  and  inspection 
of  every  meat  market  in  the  city,  of  every  restaurant, 
dairy  lunch,  bakery,  candy  manufacturing  plant,  gro- 
cery, store— in  fact,  virtually  every  source  of  food 
product  or  food  handling. 

During  the  year  51,357  inspections  were  made.  Two 
hundred  seventy-four  thousand  thirty-nine  pounds  of 
meats,  fruits,  vegetables,  dairy  products  and  candy 
were  found  totally  unfit  for  food  and  confiscated.  The 
value  of  these  confiscations  was  $10,252.10.  This  value 
naturally  is  based  upon  the  real  valuation  were  the 
products  not  unfit  for  human  consumption.  Had  the 
food  inspection  division  of  the  Health  Department 
been  less  active,  the  greater  part  of  this  material  would 
have  been  eaten  by  the  public,  with  inevitable  resulting 
illness  and  suffering. 

Guarding  the  City's  Milk  Supply 

Milwaukee  gets  its  milk  from  nine  to  eleven  differ- 
ent counties  and  from  2,000  different  farms.  To  guard 
a  supply  of  food  from  so  many  different  sources  is  no 
small  task,  and  involves  many  different  lines  of  action. 

The  work  of  the  city  attorney's  department  in  fight- 
ing to  a  successful  issue  the  case  for  a  tuberculosis  test 
of  all  dairy  cattle  was  one  of  these  lines  of  successful 
effort  to  improve  the  milk  supply.  It  was  a  notable 
legal  battle. 

Another  entirely  different  line  of  effort  was  that  of 
inspections.  On  January  1,  1912,  the  milk  inspection 
force  was  increased  by  three  men.  A  chief  milk  in- 
spector was  appointed  to  supervise  the  work.  During 
the  year  this  force,  for  the  first  time  in  the  depart- 
ment's history,  sampled  milk  sold  by  the  glass  in  res- 
Si 


taurants  and   prosecuted  more  than  forty  restaurant 
owners  for  selling:  under  standard. 

The  milk  supply,  ki  so  far  as  the  city  dealer  is  con- 
cerned, is  so  well  controlled  by  the  Health  Department 
that  violations  of  butter  fat  standards  or  adulterations 
almost  invariably  meet  with  punishment.  In  conse- 
quence the  Milwaukee  consumer  is  now  receiving  milk 
that  is  as  pure  and  wholesome  as  it  is  possible  to  main- 
tain a  supply  that  originates  from  2,000  different 
sources. 

A  Bureau  of  Education  and  Publications 

Another  new  feature  of  the  work  of  the  department 
is  the  Bureau  of  Education  and  Publications.  The 
need  for  this  kind  of  department  has  been  felt  in  the 
larger  cities  of  the  country  for  some  time.  Milwaukee, 
however,  is  one  of  the  first  cities  to  actually  organize 
the  division.  Chicago  and  several  eastern  cities  have, 
for  a  number  of  years,  been  devoting  much  energy  to 
educational  and  publicity  campaigns  in  health  work. 
No  modern  health  department  can  hope  to  cope  with 
its  present  problems  without  this  means  of  winning 
the  public  confidence  and  the  public  co-operation. 

The  bureau  during  the  year  published  a  monthly 
bulletin,  which  gained,  a  circulation  of  7,000 ;  published 
a  contagious  disease  and  a  general  health  folder;  be- 
gan a  history  of  the  Health  Department;  created  an 
exhibit  for  the  International  Dairy  Show  and  a  second 
exhibit  for  the  municipal  Budget  Show,  in  addition  to 
minor  exhibits  displayed  in  downtown  show  windows. 
It  is  estimated  that  as  the  direct  result  of  the  division 's 
activities,  approximately  100,000  persons  were  enabled 
to  see  and  perhaps  better  understand  the  meaning  of 
health  work. 

Attention  is  also  given  to  the  instruction  and  edu- 
cation of  the  sanitary  forces  of  the  department  itself. 
Lectures  are  delivered  to  the  entire  force  every  Friday 
from  4  to  5  p.  m.,  and  twice  each  month  general  con- 
ferences are  held  in  which  the  work  of  the  members  of 
the  force  is  considered  and  improvements  in  the  serv- 
ice discussed. 

82 


Anti-Tuberculosis  Work 

The  Social-Democrats  have  been  the  pioneers  in  the 
anti-tuberculosis  work  in  the  city. 

As  far  back  as  1906  Alderman  Heath,  Social-Demo- 
cratic alderman,  introduced  the  first  resolution  that 
the  city's  records  show,  bearing  on  the  matter  of  public 
work  against  the  great  white  plague. 

At  that  time  the  National  Anti-Tuberculosis  Com- 
mission proposed  to  bring  an  exhibit  to  the  city  and 
the  Heath  resolution  was  for  the  purpose  of  appropriat- 
ing money,  to  bring  it  about.  The  resolution  was 
adopted  and  the  city  finally  appropriated  11,000  for 
this  educational  work.  At  that  time  the  Federated 
Trades  Council  was  also  supporting  the  Socialists  in 
their  efforts. 

From  that  time  the  anti-tuberculosis  work  has 
grown  steadily.  But  the  first  consistent  effort  to  co- 
ordinate all  of  the  different  forces  working  against 
tuberculosis  in  the  city  was  made  after  the  Social- 
Democrats  came  into  control  of  the  city.  The  various 
societies  and  organizations  interested  in  anti-tubercu- 
losis work  have  been  brought  into  co-operation.  In 
order  to  assist  in  this  work  and  to  supplement  it  a 
tuberculosis  commission  of  five  was  appointed  by  the 
mayor.  In  this  way  the  Health  Department  works  in 
co-operation  with  the  Tuberculosis  Commission  and 
other  philanthropic  organizations  in  one  general  effort 
to  stamp  out  tuberculosis. 

The  Milwaukee  Health  Department  secured  posses- 
sion of  the  Blue  Mound  Sanitarium,  and  on  June  23 
opened  it  to  patients.  In  September,  1911,  the  Green- 
field Sanitarium  was  opened  for  patients.  A  superin- 
tendent of  tuberculosis  was  appointed,  matrons  were 
named  for  each  institution,  and  a  competent  staff  of 
nurses  was  provided.  Both  institutions  have  been  kept 
constantly  filled  to  capacity  ever  since. 

Proper  registration  of  tubercular  patients  has  also 
been  perfected.  Registration  now  includes  not  only 
the  patient  by  name,  but  also  the  houses  in  Milwaukee 
in  which  there  have  been  any  cases  of  tuberculosis. 

83 


This  registration  has  resulted  in  proper  disinfection  in 
every  case. 

The  Milwaukee  Health  Department,  together  with 
the  allied  societies,  all  working  in  the  interests  of  the 
tubercularly  afflicted,  promises  to  check  a  disease  that 
has  been  among  the  most  dangerous  in  every  part  of 
the  world. 

THE  NEW  ISOLATION  HOSPITAL 

Despite  ever-recurrent  clamor  for  proper  isolation 
hospital  facilities  that  has  extended  over  a  period  of  at 
least  ten  years,  nothing  toward  erecting  a  proper  build- 
ing was  done  until  the  Social-Democrats  got  hold  of 
things.  In  1911  the  commissioner  of  health  persist- 
ently pushed  the  project,  until  actual  building  opera- 
tions were  commenced  in  the  fall.  A  modern  isolation 
hospital,  perfectly  equipped  in  every  particular,  will 
be  ready  for  patients  in  the  spring. 

Child  Labor  and  the  Sweat  Shop  Must  Go 


A  Milwaukee  Sweat  Shop  at  10  o'clock  at  Night 

84 


HOW    THE   HEALTH   DEPARTMENT    HELPS    IN 
THE  HOMES  OF  THE  PEOPLE 

Over'  on  Prospect  Avenue,  where  the  big,  roomy 
houses  have  an  outlook  over  the  lake ;  where  the  walls 
of  the  houses  never  bump  against  each  other,  health 
and  sanitation  are  not  quite  the  same  problems  they 
are  in  other  parts  of  Milwaukee. 

In  other  parts  of  the  city  the  walls  stand  close  to 
each  other,  and  the  houses  are  jammed  for  space.  In 
many  of  these  sunlight  is  a  forbidden  visitor. 

Now,  an  old  Italian  saying  holds:  ''Where  the 
sunlight  does  not  go,  the  doctor  does." 

And  it  is  the  people  in  the  little  houses  on  the  back 
streets  who  have  the  least  advantages  in  the  fight  for 
health. 

'sP  ^  ^ 

When  something  goes  wrong  with  the  sanitation  or 
the  ventilation  of  a  Hackett  Avenue  home,  the  people 
on  that  street  know  what  to  do.  They  call  in  a  doctor 
or  some  other  expert.  They  have  the  money  to  hire, 
this  kind  of  service. 

The  people  in  the  little  houses  on  the  back  streets — 
the  working  class  folks — they  have  to  work  long  hours; 
and  they  don't  have  the  time  to  watch  these  things  as< 
they  would  like  to.  And  when  something  does  ga 
wrong  most  often  they  can't  afford  to  hire  the  doctors; 
and  plumbers  and  other  specialists  to  help  matters  get; 
straightened  out.  Even  when  they  know  what  ought 
to  be  done  most  often  they  can't  afford  to  do  it.  The 
working  people,  many  of  them,  don't  call  for  a  doctor 
till  the  case  looks  desperate. 

These  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  rich  people  have 
a  lower  death  rate  than  poor  people.  The  vital  statis- 
tics show  clearly  that  money  will  buy  health— that 
money  will  buy  service  to  fight  back  the  ravages  of 
disease  and  the  approach  of  death— that,  the  more 
money  you  have,  the  better  are  your  chances  against 
the  cunning  of  disease  and  the  grapple  of  death. 

8s 


In  other  words,  the  people  in  the  little  houses  on 
the  back  streets,  because  of  bad  conditions  with  refer- 
ence to  houses,  food,  clothing,  sleep — not  to  mention 
low  or  uncertain  income— are  up  against  a  much  harder 
game  with  the  chances  of  life  than  the  people  who  are 
not  compelled  to  think  twice  before  spending  a  dollar. 

ae.  ^f.  .u. 

•JT  ^¥*  w 

It  is  to  combat  this  health  situation  that  the  Social- 
Democratic  administration  has  authorized  the  health 
department  to  add  sixteen  more  men  to  the  sanitary 
police  force. 

Waste  in  Industry. 

Killed  and  injured  in  industries  in  U.  S.  in  1908.  ..  616,295 
Killed  and  wounded  in  Russian- Jap  war 32  5,000 

*  *  * 

According  to  census  bulletin  No.  150  tlie  average  skilled 
mechanic  produces  $2,471  per  year  and  gets  back  in  wages 
but  $437.  Under  Socalism  the  worker  will  get  the  full 
value  of  his  product.  ^ 

*  *  * 

"God  knows,  I  don't." — William  H.  Taft,  at  Cooper 
Union,  February,  1908,  when  asked:  "What  is  a  man  to 
do  in  a  financial  panic  who  is  out  of  work  and  who  is 
starving?" 

Tolstoi  truly  said  that  "The  rich  will  do  anything  for  the 
poor  except  get  down  off  their  backs." 


86 


The  Department  of  Public  Works 

A  Thorough  Re- organization — A  Striking 
Example  of  Socialist  Efficiency 


The  present  Social-Democratic  administration  found 
the  Department  of  Public  Works  in  chaos.  There  were 
three  heads — no  system  and  no  co-ordination. 

Here  in  this  department  especially  the  administra- 
tion has  shown  its  ability  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos 
and  to  introduce  efficiency. 

On  the  very  day  that  the  Social-Democrats  were 
inaugurated  the  city  council  struck  out  boldly  and 
effectively  for  a  better  organization.  A  resolution 
was  introduced  and  adopted  abolishing  at  once  the  old 
three-men  Commission  of  public  Works  and  establish- 
ing in  its  place  the  present  one-man  commission.  Harry 
E.  Briggs  was  appointed  to  this  position. 

Then  followed  at  once  the  reorganization  of  the  de- 
partment and  the  creation  of  the  several  bureaus  that 
now  form  the  units  in  the  organization.  These  sub- 
departments  are  as  follows: 

1st — Bureau  of  Street  Construction  and  Repair. 
2d— Bureau  of  Street  Sanitation. 
3d— Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Buildings. 
4th— Bureau  of  Sewerage. 
5th— Bureau  of  Purchases. 

Each  one  of  these  is  under  the  general  supervision 
of  a  superintendent. 

The  work  of  reorganization  was  also  extended  over 
the  city  engineer's  department.  This  includes  the  En- 
gineering Department  proper,  the  Water  Department, 
the  Bureau  of  Plumbing  and  House  Drain  Inspection, 
Bureau  of  Meter  Repairs  and  Water  Distribution. 

All  these  "bureaus"  or  sub-departments  have  un- 
dergone a  complete  reorganization,  or  are  at  least  in 
the  process. 

87 


BUSINESS  METHODS  INTRODUCED 

The  next  step  in  the  reorganization  for  efficiency 
involved  the  overhauling  of  the  old,  out-of-date  office 
methods  and  the  introduction  of  modern,  up-to-date 
methods.  This  was  worked  out  in  each  bureau  in 
rapid  succession. 

This  work  covered  the  following  matters : 

1.  A  proper  method  of  filing  the  correspondence  so 
as  to  give  the  department  a  permanent  record  of  its 
business.  There  had  been  no  system  at  all  before. 
Letters  had  been  filed  on  a  wire  hook. 

2.  A  cash  journal  and  ledger  for  the  record  of  all 
transactions  involving  the  handling  of  cash.  No  cash 
book  had  been  kept  before.  The  department  handles 
about  $7(X),00O  in  cash  per  year. 

3.  A  new  method  of  advertising  has  been  installed 
which  greatly  reduces  the  cost  of  official  notices. 

4.  A  correct  system  for  the  opening  of  bids  has 
been  devised  and  contracts  are  filed  according  to  num- 
ber so  that  they  may  be  located  easily  when  wanted. 

5.  A  system  of  receipts  has  been  worked  out  by 
means  of  which  no  official  document  can  be  taken  from 
the  department  files  without  properly  leaving  a  receipt. 
No  such  record  kept  before. 

the  information  of  the  department  immediately  avail- 
able to  those  who  desire  it.     Nothing  of  this  kind  be- 

6.  A  card  index  has  been  Avorked  up,  thus  making 
fore. 

7.  The  department  has  opened  a  bank  account  so 
that  the  city  may  receive  more  prompt  payment  on 
bills  owed  to  it. 

8.  Uniform  pay  rolls  have  been  introduced  through- 
out the  department.  In  the  past  these  pay  rolls  were 
made  out  by  the  various  ward  foremen  and  other  sub- 
ordinate officials.  They  are  now  made  out  in  triplicate 
in  the  general  office  on  a  typewriter  so  that  there  are 
three  records  in  existence  for  every  pay  roll. 

88 


Looking  Into  It 


9.  A  card  index  system  has  been  devised  locating 
all  employes,  both  department  ally  and  alphabetically. 
In  this  way  "double  headers"  may  be  detected  imme- 
diately. 

Instead  of  having  the  ward  men  call  at  the  City 
Hall  for  their  money,  thereby  wasting  many  hours  of 
the  city's  time,  the  City  Treasurer  now  sends  the  checks 
to  the  men  while  they  are  at  work. 

10.  A  complete  voucher  record  system  has  been 
devised  and  installed.  By  means  of  a  credit  journal 
all  bills  paid  by  the  city  are  properly  distributed  and 
charged  against  the  proper  available  funds.  A  debit 
journal  is  also  used  and  many  bills  owing  to  the  city 
are  carefully  followed  up  and  collected,  every  step  of 

89 


which,  involves  a  permanent  record  in  the  office  of  the 
Department  of  Public  Works,  City  Comptroller  and 
City  Treasurer.  In  order  to  complete  the  classification 
of  the  credit  journal,  a  ledger  has  been  devised  in 
which  a  more  complete  and  perfect  specialization  of 
accounts  is  worked  out. 

11.  A  new  system  of  estimates  for  street  and  alley 
work  has  been  devised  and  four  copies  secured  at  one 
writing.  Heretofore  all  copies  required  were  made  b> 
hand. 

12.  A  new  and  complete  system  of  keeping  account 
of  sidewalk  work  has  been  installed  which  eliminates 
many  of  the  uncertainties  and  disagreeable  features  of 
concfucting  this  important  branch  of  work. 

13.  Schedules  of  certificates  for  street  and  alley 
work  have  been  worked  out  which  save  time  in  the 
office  of-  the  City  Clerk  and  City  Comptroller.  These 
certificates  are  written  in  quadruplicate  and  at  one 
writing. 

14.  A  complete  system  of  records  in  the  Bureau  of 
Purchases  has  been  installed,  by  means  of  which  every 
step  in  the  process  of  purchase  becomes  a  permanent 
record.  Careful  tab  is  kept  upon  the  process  of  the 
department  and  it  is  now  possible  to  determine  just 
how  much  of  each  commodity  and  for  what  depart- 
ments, and  how  much  business  is  done  through  the 
activity  of  this  bureau. 

15.  A  system  of  automobile  records  has  been  de- 
vised and  installed  by  means  of  which  the  total  miles, 
the  amount  of  gasoline  and  time  used  by  and  spent  on 
automobiles,  may  be  easily  determined.  From  these 
records  it  is  possible  to^ derive  anything  necessary  per- 
taining to  the  cost  of  maintenance  and  operation  of  city 
automobiles. 

"It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  no  mu- 
nicipal administration  in  Milwaukee  ever;  entered 
upon  its  duties  with  higher  purpose  or  more  de- 
termined resolve  to  'make  good'  than  that  which 
animates  the  Socialist  regime." 

—The  Milwaukee  Journal,  April  21,  1910 

90 


The  Re-organized 
Department  of  Public  Works 

Harry  E.  Briggs,  Commissioner 


The  Board  of  Public  Works  as  it  stood  in  1909  had  the 
following  meager  organization:  The  three  commissioners 
of  public  works,  whose  total  salaries  were  $7,499.80;  cler- 
ical assistance  which  cost  a  total  of  $15,255.97;  a  super- 
intendent of  sewers  at  $1,500.00  and  a  superintendent  of 
bridges  at  $1,800.00.  The  total  salaries  amounted  to  $2  6,- 
055.85. 

The  reorganization  brought  about  by  the  new  adminis- 
tration involved  the  following  changes: 

1.  The  creation  of  a  Bureau  of  Street  Construction 
and  Repair.  This  work  had  had  no  special  attention  be- 
fore, with  a  result  that  the  city  was  being  fearfully  gouged. 
The  creation  of  this  bureau  and  the  putting  of  an  expert 
on  sti-eet  construction,  Charles  A.  Mullen,  at  the  head,  re- 
sulted in  a  tremendous  saving  to  the  city  of  $3  62,000.  The 
cost  was  only  $3,393. 

2.  The  organization  of  a  Bureau  of  Street  Sanitation. 
This  was  also  a  new  organization  the  expense  of  which  had 
formerly  been  distributed,  part  of  it  in  the  Health  Depart- 
ment and  another  part  in  the  Public  Works  Department. 
The  new  bureau  assumed  all  of  this  work  and  some  that 
had  not  been  done  before.  For  example,  the  collection  of 
garbage  and  the  operation  of  the  incinerator  plant  were 
transferred  to  this  bureau  January,  1911.  This  work  was 
formerly  done  by  the  Health  Department. 

3.  A  creation  of  a  Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Build- 
ings. The  department  had  formerly  had  a  superintendent 
of  bridges.  He  was  at  that  time  an  assistant  of  the  city 
engineer  at  a  salary  of  $2,000  per  year.  This  assistant  was 
brought  into  the  Public  Works  department  and  made  su- 
perintendent of  this  bureau.  This  addition  of  $2,000  to 
the  account  of  the  Public  Works  Department,  therefore, 
represents  no  new  expense  to  the  city.  It  is  merely  a  trans- 
fer. This  change,  however,  enabled  the  Public  Works  De- 
partment to  handle  work  which  before  had  been  impos- 
sible. For  example,  during  1911  the  bureau  made  plans  and 
specijfiications  for  public  buildings  aggregating  $153,000. 
In  the  past  it  was  customary  to  pay  outside  architects  for 

91 


such  work  5%  of  the  total  cost.     In  this  way  alone  this  re- 
organization saved  the  city  $7,650. 

4.  The  reorganization  of  the  work  of  the  Sewerage 
Department.  This  involved  no  extra  expenditure,  due  to 
the  fact  that  a  superintendent  was  already  provided  by 
the  former  organization. 

5.  The  organization  of  a  Bureau  of  Purchases.  For- 
merly the  purchasing  of  the  city  was  done  by  the  members 
of  the  various  city  departments,  each  department  doing  its 
own  buying.  This  purchasing  power  has  now  been  con- 
centrated and  systematized  with  the  result  that  during  1911 
a  saving  of  approximately  $48,000  has  been  effected  for  the 
city.  This  work  involved  approximately  $4,493.56  new  ex- 
penditures in  the  department.  Even  this,  however,  could 
not  be  counted  as  an  entirely  new  expense  since  the  bureau 
assumed  the  work  of  buying  for  all  the  departments. 

And  besides  in  connection  with  the  Purchasing  Depart- 
ment, a  city's  store  has  been  organized  so  that  instead  of 
buying  in  small  quantities  materials  are  bought  in  large 
quantities  and  stored  to  be  used  as  required.  This  enables 
the  city  to  secure  the  best  possible  prices  consistent  with 
the  quality  of  materials  needed,  even  on  things  that  are 
used  in  small  quantities  at  a  time. 

With  these  transfers  which  brought  over  a  number  of 
salaries  from  other  departments  to  the  Departinent  of  Pub- 
lic Works  and  the  addition  of  new  work  to  the  administra- 
tive end  the  department  showed  a  total  salary  list  of  $27,~ 
946.33  for  1910  as  against  $26,055.85  for  1909,  a  slight 
increase.  A  part  of  that  year's  work,  however,  was  under 
the  old  regime.  And  the  process  of  reorganization  began 
about  the  middle  of  the  year. 

The  Reorganized  Department 

With  the  five  bureaus  reorganized  as  stated  above,  the 
sixth  one  being  still  in  process  and  to  be  completed  within 
the  next  year,  the  Department  of  Public  Works  stands  as 
follows  for  the  year  1911: 

Office  of  Commissioner — 

Commissioner    $   4,999.92 

Deputy  Commissioner    ....      2,175.51 

Clerical    1,308.28 

Chiei  Clerk — 

Main  Office. — 

Clerical 4,799.34 

Special  Assessment  Office — 

Clerical    5,821.00 

Permit  Office — 

Clerical     820.00 

92 


Bureau  of  Purchases — 

Office  of  Superintendent — 

Superintendent     2,959.68 

Clerical    1,533.88 

General  City  Stores — 

Store-keeper    666.64 

Clerical    72.50 

Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Buildings — 
Office  of  Superintendent — 

Superintendent    2,466.36 

Draftsman    2,228.23 

Clerical    690.97 

Field  Supt.  of  Bridges 1,800.00 

Bureau  of  Sewers — 

Office  of  Superintendent — ^' 

Superintendent 1,479.84 

Bureau  of  Street  Construction  and  Repair — 
Office  of  Superintendent — 

Superintendent 2,943.55 

Clerical    450.00 

Bureau  of  Street  Sanitation- 
Office  of  Superintendent — 

Superintendent        .' .  1,973.04 

Clerical    1,250.00 

Chauffeur 332.98 


$40,771.72 
Thus  the  department  as  at  present  operated  involves  an 
increase  expenditure  of  $14,715.87  over  that  shown  by  the 
Public  Works  Department  in  1909. 

This  fact  has  lead  some  misguided  critics  to  fall  into 
the  error  of  supposing  that  the  Social-Democrats  were  great- 
ly increasing  the  expenses  of  operating  the  city  govern- 
ment. As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  as  explained  above, 
this  increase  expenditure  represents  in  most  cases  salaries 
transferred  from  other  departments  or  new  work  under- 
taken which  has  produced  many  and  in  some  cases  enormous 
economies.  And  besides,  this  administration  is  introducing 
wherever  it  can  the  policy  of  direct  employment  in  place  of 
contract  work.  This  invariably  saves  the  city  money  by 
eliminating  the  contractor's  profits.  But  it  increases  the 
payrolls  in  the  departments  effected.  Every  such  added  ex- 
penditure, however,  represents  not  only  increased  effici- 
ency, but  actual  economy  to  the  city. 

Savings  Effected 

The  measure  of  the  increased  efficiency  resulting  from 
the  above  reorganization  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works 
is  shown  in  a  direct  manner  in  the  following  table: 

93 


Saving  due  to  change  in  price  of  asphalt  pave- 
ment,  approximately    $362,000.00 

Saving  due  to  systematic  buying,  approximately.      48,000.00 

Saving   due   to   doing   our   own   work   in   archie 

tectural  design    7,650.00 

Credit  for  transfer  of  Assistant  City  Engineer  to 

Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Buildings.  .  ..        2,000.00 

Credit  for  handling  garbage  collection  and  in- 
cinerator records 1,000.00 

Credit  for  doing,  by  direct  employment,  certain 

work  hereinafter  specified 5,000.00 

Profit  to  city  by  direct  operation  of  asphalt  re- 
pair plant    3,068.00 

Total    ,..". $428,718.00 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  will  be  another  saving 
of  $315,000  due  to  the  change  in  method  of  assessment,  if 
the  city  is  successful  in  its  suit  with  the  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L. 
Co.,  to  compel  them  to  pay  for  the  pavement  between  the 
tracks  and  one  foot  outside  as  required  by  their  franchises. 
This  will  make,  if  added  to  the  above,  a  grand  total  of 
$743,718.00  due  to  the  increased  efficiency  of  the  Public 
Works  Department  under  the  Social  Democratic  method  of 
reorganization.  We  doubt  whether  any  city  administration 
in  America  in  a  city  of  the  size  of  Milwaukee  has  been  able 
to  make  such  a  showing. 

With  the  former  administrations  Milwaukee  has  had 
there  is  absolutely  no  comparison  whatever  to  be  made. 

We  challenge  the  representatives  of  any  group  of  people 
— non-partisan,  bi-partisan,  or  omni-partisan,  to  show  any 
evidence  anywhere  that  they  could  equal  or  even  approach 
a  record  of  this  kind. 

Former  administrations  have  disgraced  the  city  with 
their  incompetency  and  graft.  The  present  administra- 
tion has  made  records  like  the  above,  which  have  not  been 
equaled  and  cannot  be  approached  by  anything  that  any  of 
these  other  bodies  have  offered  the  people.  And  yet  the 
same  old  political  office-seekers  would  like  to  get  back  on 
the  job  again.  They  have  changed  their  name,  it  is  true. 
But  it  is  the  same  old  gang. 

The  Social-Democrats  Have  Saved  You 
$700,000  in  Two  Years 

In  Ten  Years  They  Will  Save  the  City 

94 


STREET  CONSTRUCTION-A  TREMENDOUS 
ACHIEVEMENT 

The  Socialist  Administration  Makes   an  Astonishing 
Saving  on  Asphalt  Paving. 


370,000  square  yards  of  asphalt  paving  that 
formerly  cost  $2.40  per  square  yard,  let  at 
an  average  of  $1.35,  thus  saving $386,000 

131,300  square  yards,  formerly  charged  to  prop- 
erty owners  at  $2.40  per  square  yard,  now 
charged  to  street  car  company,  saving  (if 
city  is  successful  in  its  suit) 315,120 

Total $701,120 


To  stop  a  leak  of  $386,000  a  year  in  the  ship  of  city 
finances  is  no  small  matter,  we  should  say. 

The  people  of  this  city  have  the  Social-Democrats 
to  thank  for  just  such  sort  of  service. 

A  leak  of  that  kind  would  soon  sink  any  ship.  And 
it  would  have  sunk  the  city,  too,  sooner  or  later,  if  the 
Social-Democrats  hadn't  been  called  on  deck  by  the 
people. 

For  seventeen  years  the  Republican  and  Demo- 
cratic administrations  had  kept  the  specifications  for 
asphalt  street  pavement  so  closed  that  the  city  was 
sewed  up  in  a  sack  and  handed  over  to  one  certain 
asphalt  company  that  had  a  complete  monopoly.  No 
other  company  could  get  in  on  the  deal. 

And  what  this  one  company  did  to  the  people  of 
Milwaukee  was  not  written  in  the  platforms  of  the 
Republican  or  Democratic  parties.     Be  assured  of  that. 

And  what  they  did  to  the  people  was  done  by  the 
grace  of  David  S.  Rose— the  late  lamented — and  his 
valiant  Republican  and  Democratic  supporters.  Some 
of  these  men  are  now  in  the  council.  One  of  them, 
Joseph  P.  Carney,  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 

95 


Streets  and  Alleys  while  these  closed  specifications  pre- 
vailed. Some  of  them  even  now  aspire  to  higher  posi- 
tions than  they  had  at  the  time  they  helped  the  paving 
trust  to  fasten  itself  upon  the  people. 

They've  been  ''caught" — redhanded— by  the  Social- 
Democrats  in  this  matter,  to  be  sure.  But  they  have  a 
new  scheme  by  which  they  hope  to  avoid  the  gaze  of 
an  outraged  public. 

They  have  changed  their  names. 

They  are  not  Republicans  or  Democrats  any  more. 

They  are  Non-Partisans.  As  such  they  hope  to 
again  get  back  into  public  power  and  do  business  at 
old  counters  in  the  same  old  way. 

But  a  rose  by  any  other  name  is  just  as— has  the 
same  odor.  And  Milwaukee  is  wise  to  the  non-partisan 
game. 

Members  of  the  Milwaukee  Council  who  voted  to 
keep  the  specifications  for  street  paving  closed— sus- 
taining the  veto  of 

DAVED  S.  ROSE 
(July  27,  1903) 

Republicans— 9  Democrats— 12 

Genz  Biersach 

Jenz  Fitzgerald 

Laack  Himmelstein 

Langholff  Jankiewicz 

Luedtke  Jesion 

McCormack  Kaminski 

Meredith  McCoy 

Schranck  Murphy 

Walter  Steigerwald 

Weiher 

Zimmermann 

Corcoran 
96 


In  spite  of  protests  on  the  part  of  the  Republican- 
Democratic  combination  in  the  council,  the  Socialists 
secured  a  real,  live  expert  in  street  construction  and 
put  him  at  the  head  of  the  bureau  of  street  construc- 
tion. And  in  spite  of  a  furious  fight  against  him  ever 
since,  involving  a  fight  every  hour  of  the  time  from 

Keep  the  City  Glean 


Waste  Paper  Receptacle  Installed  in  Down  Town  District 

then  till  now  (the  case  is  still  pending)  the  Social- 
Democrats  kept  him  on  the  job  until  it  was  finished. 

When  C.  A.  Mullen  came  to  Milwaukee  and  took 
charge  of  the  work  of  street  construction  something 
started  to  happen  right  away. 

First  of  all  specifications  were  redrafted  for  asphalt 
pavement. 

It  was  found  that  the  asphalt  specifications  made  it 
impossible  to  use  any  other  than  that  supplied  by  the 
Barber  Asphalt  Paving  Company.  This  was  done  by 
substituting  the   chemical   and  physical  properties   of 

97 


Trinidad  Lake  asphalt  for  the  words  ''Trinidad  Lake 
Asphalt."  By  this  clever  trick  the  above  mentioned 
material  was  the  only  thing  that  could  be  used  in  Mil- 
waukee asphalt  pavements.  There  are  many  other  ma- 
terials that  are  as  good  or  even  better  than  that  fur- 
nished by  the  Barber  Asphalt  Paving  Company. 

The  first  work,  then,  was  to  open  specifications 
sufficiently  to  permit  several  other  good  grades  of 
asphalt.  This  was  done,  and  under  the  present  speci- 
fications asphalt  from  Venezuela,  Cuba,  Utah  and  Cali- 
fornia, as  well  as  from  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  is  ad- 
mitted. 

Another  change  in  the  specifications  was  the  elimina- 
tion of  the  binder  course.  The  so-called  binder  course 
is  not,  in  any  sense,  a  ''binder."  Where  the  proper 
amount  of  asphaltic  cement  is  used  there  is  no  necessity 
for  a  binder.  In  fact  its  presence  aids  in  the  deteriora- 
tion of  the  wearing  surface  and  its  elimination  reduces 
the  cost  of  the  pavement  from  20  to  30  cents  per 
square  yard. 

The  best  authorities  on  street  construction  insist 
that  the  binder  course  serves  no  useful  purpose.  For 
example,  Mr.  E.  M.  Perdue,  chemical  and  consulting 
engineer  for  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  declares  that  the  binder 
course  serves  only  to  increase  the  cost  of  pavement  to 
the  property  owner,  requires  more  work  in  laying  the 
pavement,  and  permits  the  rapid  disintegration  of  the 
surface.  "As  a  matter  of  scientific  engineering,"  he 
says,  "the  binder  course  is  obsolete.  It  ought  never 
to  be  laid."  Furthermore,  experience  shows  conclu- 
sively that  the  best  pavements  in  America  are  laid 
without  a  binder,  as  the  accompanying  illustration  will 
show. 

The  new  specifications  also  eliminated  the  guaranty. 

Where  proper  inspection  is  used  it  is  unnecessary  to 
have  a  guaranty  for  the  first  five  years  of  the  life  of 
the  pavement.  If  the  work  is  done  with  proper  mate- 
rial, labor  and  inspection,  from  3  to  5  cents  per  square 
yard  may  be  saved  thereby.     The  system  of  inspection 


Asphalt  Pavement  Without  a  Binder 


A  Sample  from  Washington,  D.  C— The  Pavement 
Has  Worn  33  Years 


inaugurated  by  this  bureau  consisted  in  employing  a 
competent  asphalt  chemical  engineer  for  expert  con- 
sultation work.  Especially  equipped  inspectors  were 
put  at  the  mixing  plants  of  the  contractors  and  other 
inspectors  placed  on  the  streets  where  the  work  was 
being  done.  Samples  of  the  asphalt  from  the  plant  and 
from  the  streets  were  taken  daily  and  analyzed,  the 
results  of  which  became  a  record  in  this  office.  Every 
carload  of  asphalt,  every  tank  of  fluxing  oil  was  sub- 
jected to  the  most  rigid  scrutiny  and  rejected  where 
the  results  did  not  meet  the  requirements  of  the  speci- 
fications. 

Another  change  made  in  the  specifications  was  the 
introduction  of  a  certain  amount  of  crushed  rock  into 
the  wearing  surface.  In  the  sheet  asphalt  pavements 
of  Milwaukee  it  was  proposed  on  the  ground  that  the 
rock  increased  the  "inherent  stability"   and  formed 

99 


internal  reinforcement  in  the  wearing  surface.  This 
pavement  is  known  to  be  no  harder  in  the  wintertime, 
and  harder  in  the  summertime  than  the  ordinarj^  sand- 
asphalt  mix. 

All  of  the  above  mentioned  changes  were  worked 
into  the  specifications  for  1911.  At  the  very  next  bid- 
ding there  were  six  different  companies  that  submitted 
bids,  where  before  there  had  been  but  two.  And  the 
prices  dropped  from  $2.40  per  square  yard  to  $1,351/2 
per  square  yard.  Three  hundred  and  seventy  thou- 
sand yards  of  pavement  were  let  during  1911  and,  fig- 
ured at  an  average  saving  of  $1,041/2,  the  amount  saved 
to  the  city  and  the  property  owners  is  approximately 
$386,000. 

A  new  method  in  making  assessments  of  benefits 
and  damages  for  street  work  was  worked  out.  The 
city  attorney's  department  formulated  plans  by  means 
of  which  the  street  car  company  could  be  made  to  pay 
for  the  pavement  between  its  rails  and  one  foot  outside. 
Accordingly  no  property  owner  paid  for  pavement  laid 
between  the  street  car  company's  rails  in  1911.  One 
hundred  and  thirty-one  thousand  yards  were  therefore 
saved  to  the  property  owners  and  to  the  city.  Steps 
have  been  takeu  to  compel  the  street  car  company  to 
pay  for  this  area  which  formerly  was  paid  for  at  an 
average  of  $2.40  per  square  yard,  making  an  additional 
saving  of  $315,120.  This  matter  will,  however,  haA^e  to 
go  through  the  various  courts  and  be  passed  upon 
finally  by  the  supreme  court  of  Wisconsin  before  the 
saving  is  an  actual  reality  to  the  city. 

Further  Improvements  and  Economies 

It  was  found  that  many  old  macadam  streets  in 
town  could  be  specially  treated  with  an  asphaltic  binder 
and  be  made  to  last  for  many  years.  This  treatment 
comprises  the  removal  of  the  top  two  inches  of  the 
roadway  and  the  building  up  of  the  same  with  new 
rock  cemented  and  held  firmly  together  by  means  of  an 
asphaltic  road  binder.  When  properly  treated  the 
roadway  becomes  hard,  smooth  and  very  much  like  a 

100 


regular  asphalt  street.  Sixty-seven  thousand  yards 
were  treated  during  the  summer  of  1911  at  an  average 
cost  of  51  cents  per  square  yard. 

Another  economy  introduced  was  that  of  utilizing 
the  annual  harvest  of  rock  and  broken  curb  that  results 
from  the  usual  street  construction  work.  Thousands 
of  yards  a  year  have  been  hauled  to  the  city  dumps  and 
this  rock  utilized  merely  as  filler.  A  small  portable 
stone  crusher  was  purchased,  a  road  roller  connected 
thereto,  and  was  hauled  from  place  to  place.  This 
equipment  crushed  2,917  yards  at  an  average  cost  of 
76  cents  per  yard.  This  stone,  if  bought,  would  cost  us 
$1.23  per  square  yard,  or  $3,587.91,  thereby  saving  to 
the  city  $1,370.99,  besides  utilizing  what  had  formerly 
been  a  waste  product  and  giving  employment  for  a 
certain  number  of  men.  There  are  at  present  waiting 
to  be  crushed  at  various  places  in  the  city  about  7,000 
cubic  yards. 

Portable  Stone  Crusher 


1 

J 

imf 

■•': 

^^■■E  is 

W 

^^5^P^!?r^^^»^^^BHIi^ 

■S.  ftl**#  ■  ■&*>  ,tv7«  > 

^^^^^j^^ 

For    Utilizing  the  City's  Waste  Rock 

lOI 


Will  Vote  for  Us  Again 

Don't  Believe  the  Lies  About  Social-Democrats. 


"The  battle  between  light  and  darkness  is 
fought  out  at  the  ballot  box  as  well  as  in  a 
man's  soul.  There  is  a  party  of  darkness,  of 
vice,  of  corruption,  of  crime. 

"A  majority  of  the  voters  of  this  city  evi- 
dently believed  at  the  last  election  that  the 
quickest  way  to  end  the  rule  of  darkness  was  to 
elect  the  Social-Democratic  ticket. 

"Many  of  them  never  read  Karl  Marx.  But 
they  evidently  did  believe  the  Social-Democrats 
to  be  sincefe,  honest,  trustworthy,  public  spirit- 
ed, and  that  they  will  give  us  an  administration 
along  the  lines  we  are  seeking.  They  represent 
the  new  spirit  in  our  national  life. 

"And  I  say  to  our  Socialist  friends,  be  honest, 
efficient,  broad-minded,  progressive,  making 
haste  slowly,  and  we  will  vote  for  you  again. 
We  are  tired  of  being  ruled  by  red  lights,  spe- 
cial interests,  absentees.  We  want  to  see  pov- 
erty abolished,  every  man  at  work,  the  sick  and 
dependents  taken  care  of. 

"We  don't  believe  the  lies  that  are  told  about 
you.  We  believe  you  are  as  moral  as  we  are; 
that  you  love  your  homes  and  your  flag  as  much 
as  we  do.  You  are  American  citizens,  and  our 
neighbors.  You  have  preached  ideals  to  us; 
now  put  them  into  practice.  Be  to  us  the  po- 
litical expression  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  and 
you  may  count  on  the  votes  of  all  Christian 
men." — Rev.  Frederick  Edwards,  St.  James' 
Episcopal  Church. 

They  will  vote  fhe  Social-Democrats  again — 
''go  thou  and  do  likewise/' 

102 


street  Cleaning  and  Sanitation 

The  Bureau  of  Street  Sanitation  has  charge  of  street 
cleaning,  sprinkling,  flushing  and  oiling,  also  of  the 
collection  of  ashes  and  garbage  and  the  direct  manage- 
ment of  the  garbage  incinerator,  all  of  the  city  dumps 
and  all  of  the  ward  men  in  the  city. 

John  J.  Handley,  one  of  the  best  known  and, most 
capable  trade  unionists  of  the  city,  was  put  in  charge 
of  this  work.  And  here,  as  in  other  departments,  a 
series  of  improvements  were  begun. 

Sprinkling. — First  of  all  the  street  sprinklers  were  thor- 
oughly overhauled,  put  in  good  repair  and  started  on  their 
work  early  in  the  year.  They  began  last  spring  on  February 
2  7th,  a  very  unusual  occurrence. 

The  next  improvement  was  the  working  out  of  a  sys- 
tem by  means  of  which  tab  was  kept  on  every  man  in 
charge  of  a  sprinkler.  His  route  was  carefully  worked  out 
for  him,  with  instructions  to  sprinkle  two,  three  or  four 
times  a  day.  Record  was  kept  of  the  time  he  was  on  the 
sprinkling  wagon,  of  the  number  of  tanks  of  water  used  and 
also  of  the  total  cost  on  all  sprinkling  routes.  By  this 
means  an  accurate  cost  account  has  been  established,  to- 
gether with  a  greater  certainty  as  to  the  amount  of  water 
used  for  this  purpose.  In  this  manner  315  miles  of  streets 
were  sprinkled  this  year. 

Street  Oiling — The  sprinkling  of  streets,  however,  is  not 
the  most  satisfactory  method  of  treating  the  streets.  The  bet- 
ter way  is  to  treat  them  with  bituminous  oil.  This  treat- 
ment acts  not  only  as  a  dust  preventative,  but  also  protects 
the  surface  of  the  road  and  against  the  erosive  action  ot 
the  water.  The  oil  acts  as  a  cement  and  holds  the  small 
stone  particles  together  and  so  helps  to  resist  the  effects 
of  traffic  and  water. 

This  policy  of  oiling  was  begun  in  a  small  way  by  the 
previous  administration.  The  present  administration,  how- 
ever, has  extended  it  greatly  and  made  more  complete  pro- 
vision for  this  kind  of  work.  In  order  that  the  oil  could 
be  more  effectively  handled  three  storage  tanks  were  in- 
stalled in  various  parts  of  the  city,  each  having  a  capacity 
of  12,000  gallons.  Each  of  the  tanks  is  provided  with 
necessary  equipment  for  heating  and  pumping  the  oil. 

Over  71  miles  of  streets  were  oiled  this  year  with  a  spe- 
cial 65%  asphaltic  oil.  The  cost  was  an  average  of  4  1-1  Oc 
per  front  foot. 

103 


The  Old  Way 


Of  Flushing  Streets 

Street  Cleaning — The  most  important  improvement  in 
the  street  cleaning  department  was  the  introduction  of  the 
modern  power  street  flushing  machines.  This  work  was  for- 
merly done  with  an  ordinary  fire  hose.  With  the  new 
method  47i/^  miles  of  streets  were  flushed  regularly.  The 
down-town  districts  were  flushed  every  night.  Other  streets 
lying  adjacent  were  flushed  every  other  night  and  still 
others  once  a  week.  With  the  new  power  machines  the 
flushing  cost,  per  thousand  square  yards,  has  been  reduced 
from  69c,  under  the  old  fire  hose  system,  to  15c  under  the 
new  system. 

Collection  of  Ashes — The  collection  of  ashes  has  been 
systematized.  Time  cards  are  turned  in  every  day  show- 
ing the  number  of  loads  taken  from  each  'block,  the  num- 
ber of  teamsters  employed  and  the  number  of  laborers  used 
so  that  an  accurate  account  can  be  kept.  In  this  way  it  is 
possible  to  locate  whether  or  not  complaints  are  justified. 
The  records  for  1911  show  just  when  ashes  were  collected 
in  every  block  in  the  city.  Also  shows  when  rubbish  was 
taken  from  any  building  and  if  no  collection  was  made, 
reason  for  non-collection  is  stated.  During  1911  188,000 
yards  were  collected  and  disposed  of.     There  being  no  rec- 

104 


The  New  Way 


The  Power  Flusher  Introduced  by  the  Social-Democrats 

ords  on  file  for  previous  years,  no  comparison  can  be  made. 

Collection  of  Garbage — The  work  of  the  collection  and 
disposal  of  garbage  was  turned  over  to  this  Bureau  January 
1st,  1911.  Careful  study  was  immediately  begun  and  a  re- 
districting  of  the  entire  city  resulted.  Two  horse  teams 
gradually  being  substituted  for  the  one  horse  rigs  that  have 
prevailed  so  long.  The  capacity  of  the  big  wagon  is  four 
yards  while  that  of  the  small  wagon  is  one  and  one-half 
yards.  This  change  will  result  in  a  saving  approximately 
50c  per  ton.  The  total  cost  of  collection  in  1910  was 
$89,156.75  and  in  1911  $82,699.30,  thereby  reducing  the 
cost  of  1911  $6,457.45,  notwithstanding  that  464  acres  were 
annex  d  to  the  city. 

The  Incinerator  Plant — The  incinerator,  formerly  under 
the  control  of  the  Health  Department,  was  turned  over  to 
the  Department  of  Public  Works  January  1,  1911,  where- 
upon it  was  placed  under  the  immediate  control  of  the  su- 
perintendent of  street  sanitation. 

This  incinerator  is  of  the  Heenan-Froude  type,  and  cost 
the  city  $212,000.  Its  capacity  is  300  tons  of  refuse  per 
day,  and  it  is  equipped  with  auxiliary  boilers  adapted  to 
utilize  the  heat  of  combustion  for  the  generation  of  steam. 

I05 


Contracts  have  been  let,  aggregating  $30,000,  for  tlie 
construction  of  an  auxiliary  electric  light  and  power  plant 
to  utilize  this  waste  steam.  It  is  expected  that  the  plant 
will  develop  600  kilowatts,  which  will  be  utilized  in  light- 
ing a  number  of  city  streets.  It  is  expected  that  this  plant 
will  be  put  into  operation  some  time  early  in  the  spring. 

In  June,  1910,  when  the  new  incinerator  at  the  foot 
of  Erie  Street  was  put  into  operation,  the  practice  of  weigh- 
ing every  load  of  garbage  and  other  material  that  was  de- 
livered to  the  plant  was  begun.  This  practice  was  extended 
down  to  and  through  1911. 

No  such  records  were  kept  before  and  the  amount  of 
garbage  actually  collected  was  the  inerest  guess  work  or 
empty  boast.  Such  figures  as  have  been  used  are  utterly 
unreliable.  There  is  absolutely  no  basis  for  comparison  as 
is  clearly  shown  in  the  preface  of  the  1910  report  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Health,  who  had  charge  of  the  work  up  to 
that  time.  ^ 

Since  the  present  bureau  took  charge,  however,  the  rec- 
ords have  been  carefully  kept  showing  the  exact  amount 
and  the  nature  of  all  the  city  waste  delivered  to  the  inciji- 
eration  plant.      The  number  of  loads,  the  weight  per  load  of 

Every  Little  Bit  Helps 


Receptacle  to  Keep  Street  Sweepings  from  Littering  Streets 

io6 


each  collector  have  been  recorded.  A  copy  is  also  kept  of 
private  collections.  A  system  of  records  has  been  devised 
and  is  in  use  at  the  incinerator  by  means  of  which  all  of 
the  details  of  the  process  of  incineration  are  known.  Care- 
ful account  has  also  been  kept  of  all  labor,  material,  re- 
placement and  outlays,  so  that  a  complete  financial  state- 
ment for  the  year  can  be  made.  By  this  means  the  oper- 
ation for  the  entire  year  has  been  one  long  experiment  from 
which  we  can  deduce  all  conclusions  which  bear  upon  prob- 
lems of  operation  and  accounting. 

Sixty-four  men  are  employed  at  the  plant  and  are  ar- 
ranged to  work  in  three  shifts  of  eight  hours  each.  The 
plant  is  operated,  at  present,  six  days  a  week.  When  the 
waste  steam  is  utilized  for  lighting  purposes  it  will  have  to 
be  operated  seven  days  a  week,  365  days  of  the  year. 

The  total  number  of  tons  of  refuse  handled  during  the 
year  1911  is  50,800.  The  total  cost  of  labor,  excluding  the 
cost  of  collection,  is  $50,526,  making  an  average  of  $1  per 
ton.  The  cost  of  labor  for  refuse  disposal  ranges  from  87 
cents  to  $1.06  per  ton. 

A  total  of  $82,699.30  was  expended  for  the  collection  of 
garbage  for  1911,  which  makes  an  average  of  approxi- 
mately $2.35  per  ton.  The  budget  allowed  $92,241.00  for 
this  purpose  for  1911,  $9,542.00  of  which  was  turned  back 
for  general  city  purposes. 

Other  Improvements — In  addition  to  the  above  improve- 
ments various  others  were  made,  among  them  the  follow- 
ing: 

A  complete  system  of  recording  complaints  coming  to 
the  department;  the  installation  of  40  bubbler  drinking 
fountains  in  various  parts  of  the  city;  72  waste  paper  boxes 
on  poles  in  the  down-town  district;  320  refuse  cans  in  ad- 
justed districts;  completing  of  five  new  ward  buildings  and 
the  resurfacing  of  5&V2  miles  of  macadamized  streets  with 
crushed  stone. 

Practically  all  of  the  above  work  referred  to  represents 
improved  methods  introduced  by  the  department. 


The  Best  is  Good  Enough 
Vote  the 

Social-Democratic  Ticket 

107 


SEWER  DEPARTMENT 

In  accordance  with  the  charter  amendment  provid- 
ing for  the  reorganization  of  the  Department  of  Public 
Works,  a  Bureau  of  Sewerage  was  organized  and  Mr. 
Henry  J.  Kruse  appointed  as  superintendent. 

The  work  of  this  bureau  comprises  the  general  sup- 
ervision of  all  inspection  of  new  work,  together  with 
the  superintending  of  the  repair,  replacement  and 
cleaning  of  all  old  sewers,  manholes  and  catch-basins. 

For  years  the  city  had  been  receiving  much  poor 
labor  and  material  in  sewer  construction  work.  It 
was,  therefore,  necessary  to  repair  and  to  replace  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  city's  investment  in  drain- 
age system  each  year.  Many  instances  were  found  in 
which  defective  material  and  workmanship  made  ac- 
ceptance of  the  new  work  impossible. 

Wretched  Contract  Work 

As  an  example,  a  sewer  on  Greenbush  Street,  from 
Chicago  Road  to  Harrison  Avenue,  was  laid  under  con- 
tract and  not  accepted  as  laid,  for  the  reason  that  it 
did  not  conform  to  the  established  grade  for  the  sewer 
and  because  of  the  poor  pipe  used.  Instances  were 
found  in  which  improper  tamping  of  the  earth  around 
the  pipe  caused  a  subsequent  settling  of  the  trench, 
which  finally  caused  the  pipe  to  collapse.  According 
to  specifications,  a  plank  support  should  have  been  laid 
underneath  the  pipe,  which,  in  many  cases,  was  en- 
tirely disregarded. 

Other  instances  were  found  in  which  mortar  for  the 
brick  manholes  had  very  little  or  no  cement.  Work  of 
this  kind  is  almost  completely  lost,  so  far  as  the  city  is 
concerned. 

Another  sewer  was  found  to  have  been  completed 
thirty  years  or  more  ago  and  never  connected  with  the 
sewer  it  was  intended  to  drain.  For  the  last  genera- 
tion, therefore,  the  city  has  been  in  no  position  to 
secure  the  full  use  of  this  investment.  It  is  imperative 
that  it  is  some  one's  definite  business  to  carefully  in- 
spect and  exercise  general  supervision  over  all  new 

1 08 


Results  of  Private  Contract  Work 


Contractor  Smashes  through  a  City  Sewer 

work  of  this  nature. 

Another  difficulty  that  has  been  encountered  many 
times  is  the  tendency  of  the  contractor  in  laying  sewers 
and  water  pipe  to  smash  through  Avhatever  other  work 
may  in  anywise  interfere  with  the  immediate  prosecu- 
tion of  his  own.  For  instance,  we  found  in  several  sec- 
tions of  the  city  contractors  breaking  sewers  in  order 
to  lay  water  pipe  underneath.  In  all  cases  of  this  kind 
trenches  were  filled  up  without  first  repairing  damage 
done  to  the  sewer.  In  this  w^ay  many  catch-basins  and 
basements  were  flooded. 

Other  instances  are  found  in  which  public  service 
corporations  have  deliberately  broken  overflow  pipes 
from  catch-basins  and  sewers  in  order  to  install  their 
own  underground  work  with  the  least  amount  of  trou- 
ble. In  such  cases  the  bureau  made  the  necessary 
repairs  and  then  sent  the  bills  for  the  same  to  the 
public  service  corporations  for  payment. 

109 


Three  Sewerage  Districts 

The  city  is  divided  into  three  sewerage  districts, 
the  east,  west  and  south  sides,  each  of  which  is  under 
the  immediate  supervision  of  a  district  superintendent. 
Materials  are  bought,  laborers  employed,  and  each  sup- 
erintendent is  equipped  to  do  whatever  cleaning  and 
repairing  are  necessary  to  be  done  in  his  district. 

The  city  at  present  has  approximately  9,250  catch- 
basins,  20,750  manholes,  and  428  miles  of  sewers,  which 
cost  approximately  $6,000,000. 

The  Sewerage  Department  will  eventually  be 
broadened  so  as  to  include  the  operation  of  whatever 
sewerage  disposal  system  is  installed  by  the  city.  The 
disposal  of  city  wastes,  including  the  sewerage  mate- 
rial, is  a  matter  of  vital  importance  and  is  directly 
related  to  the  health  conditions  of  the  city. 

In  the  reorganization  of  the  Bureau  of  Sewerage 
the  house  drain  inspectors  were  transferred  to  the 
Bureau  of  Plumbing  and  House  Drain  Inspection, 
thereby  relieving  this  department  of  work  which  does 
not  properly  belong  to  it. 

A  complete  system  of  time  cards  and  cost  data 
forms  has  been  worked  out  and  installed  in  this  bu- 
reau. By  this  means  all  material  and  labor  are  kept 
account  of,  and  from  these  it  is  possible  to  charge  to 
all  jobs  undertaken  and  the  exact  amount  of  labor  and 
material  used  thereon. 


Purchasing  Department 
Henry  Campbell,  Purchasing  Agent 

Heretofore  the  purchasing  of  the  city  has  been  done 
in  a  most  slipshod  and  unbusinesslike  fashion. 

Each  department  did  its  own  buying,  thus  involv- 
ing a  great  amount  of  waste  of  time  and  energy,  be- 
sides leaving  a  way  open  for  irregularities. 

By  the  organization  of  the  Purchasing  Department 
the  administration  has  in  another  line  proven  its  in- 
creased efficiency.     Not  only  is  an  immense  amount  of 

no 


time  saved  by  assembling  all  the  purchases  from  all  of 
the  departments,  and  then  ordering  from  one  central 
agency,  but  other  advantages  are  obtained.  The  as- 
sembling of  the  orders  enables  the  Purchasing  Depart- 
ment to  secure  better  prices  by  reason  of  the  larger 
quantities  purchased.  Furthermore,  having  one  de- 
partment concerned  solely  with  buying  enables  that 
department  to  introduce  greater  care  and  to  exercise 
more  diligence.  In  this  way  the  city  is  sure  to  secure 
better  quality  in  goods  purchased,  and  better  prices. 

These  principles  are  all  well  known  to  every  effi- 
cient management.  The  results  during  the  first  year 
are  as  might  be  expected.  , 

During  1911  the  department  made  purchases  aggre- 
gating approximately  $500,000.  A  careful  comparison 
of  the  prices  paid  by  the  department  with  those  previ- 
ously paid  shows  a  saving  of  fully  10  per  cent.  Allow- 
ing for   the    cost   of  running   the   department,   which 


tm   PURCHASING 


•^f   ^##^^M##9#M^iP^ 


COST  OF  nwkim 
f^JOo.*"  PER  rsAf? 


•##«#9##^#^ 


an  CEPAfiTfiSffrs 

C05T  OF  PORCHASING 
J  p^ff/'if  /?mrm  Aiirm/r  rm 

^4,440^ 
7££ 


Chart  Illustrating  the  New  Method  of  Handling 
City's  Purchasing 


amounted  during  the  year  to  about  $6,000,  the  clean, 
positive  balance  of  $44,000  is  left  to  the  credit  of  the 
department  and  saved  to  the  city. 

Some  of  the  instances  of  economy  effected  by  means 
of  the  Purchasing  Department  may  be  mentioned  as 
follows : 

Bicarbonate  of  Soda—  Per  lb. 

Former   price : $  .0'3 

Present   price Ol^/o 

Saving $  .Oli/o 

Saving  on  50  barrels  every  year,  20,000  lbs.  .$      300.00 

Sulphuric  Acid—  Per  lb. 

Former   price $  .03 

Present   price OII/2 

Saving $  .Oli/o 

Saving  on  50  carboys  used  every  year,  10,000 

lbs '^ 150.00 


The  Old  Police  Ambulance 

112 


street  Brooms,  14  Inch—  Per  doz. 

Former  price,  averaging $8.50' 

Present   price 4.80 

Saving $3.70 

Saving  on  100  dozens,  used  approximately  ev- 
ery year. 370.00 

Coal— City  Hall  Use—  Per  ton 

Former   price $3.65 

Present  price 3.15 

Saving ; $  .50 

Saving  on  2,000  tons  used  every  year,   ap- 
proximately      1,000.00 

The  New  Automobile  Ambulance  Bought  by 
Purchasing  Department 


Chief  of  Police  Refuses  to  Use  It 

113 


Cement—  Per  bbl. 

Former  price,  averaging' $1.50 

Present  price 1.25 

Saving $  .25 

Saving  on  about  8,000  barrels  used  every  year     2,000.00 

Crushed  Stone—  Per  sq.  yd. 

Former   price $1.50 

Present   price 1.33 

Saving $  .17 

Saving  on  80,000  yards  used  per  year 13,600.00 

Fire  Hose— 

Last  year's  purchases  amounted  to $10,450.00 

Taking  the  increased  cost  of  material  at  5% .        522.00 

$10,972.50 
This  year's  purchase 7,690.00 

Saving $3,282.50 

In  addition  to  the  above,  this  department  has  con- 
tracted for  10,000  barrels  of  Portland  cement  at  $1  per 
barrel,  which  is  a  saving  of  50  cents  over  the  former 
price,  a  total  saving  of  $2,500. 

Also  contracted  for  police  alarm  posts  at  $10  below 
the  former  non-competitive  price.  As  200  of  these  will 
be  required  during  the  year,  this  represents  a  saving 
of  $2,000. 

THE  WATER  DEQPARTMEiNT 

A  Splendid  Showing  of  Public  Ownership 

Average  cost  of  water,  25  cents  per  family  per 
month. 

Labor  conditions  and  wages,  good. 

Average  annual  revenues  to  the  city $  53,000 

Profit  to  city  last  year 200,000 

*         *         * 

A  vote  for  Social-Democracy  is  a  vote  for  more  of 
this  sort  of  thing.     Public  ownership  is  the  program. 

114 


For  forty  years  the  city  of  Milwaukee  has  owned 
and  operated  its  water  works  system. 

Here  is  one  point  at  least  in  which  Milwaukee  is  up- 
to-date.  It  is  about  the  only  revenue  producing  public 
utility  the  city  owns.  We  are  far  behind  the  European 
cities  in  this  respect,  and  even  behind  many  American 
citieg.  But  there  is  at  least  this  one  revenue  producing 
utility  which  the  city  owns. 

■And  the  results  are  splendid. 

In  the  first  place,  the  cost  of  water,  which  is  one  of 
the  necessities  of  life,  has  been  kept  very  low.  The 
rate  for  the  private  consumer  is,  on  an  average,  only 
25  cents  a  month.  In  many  cases  it  is  as  low  as  8  cents 
a  month.  Contrast  this  with  the  rates  in  Racine  and 
Superior,  both  Wisconsin  cities,  and  both  on  the  shores 
of  a  lake. 

Public  Ownership  in  Milwaukee  Makes 
Water  Cheap 


Mil 

CM 

vMfr  or  O 

To 

I .  uni 

- 

■Oz-o- 

~ ,/  /3 

MILW. 

I 

1:11  WOKK 

..  1011 

lUWrnfi. 

■J^^  - 

00 





lii-.:!!!:; 

niiiiii 

$1: 

i; 

-- 

/p>^ 

^^_f  f 

00; 

^00 

^ , 

.-.;       .; 

— 

-—7:;^ 

—-  ■■    -  •• 

Milwaukee  Water  Bill 

115 


Under  Private  Ownership  Water  Costs  Five 
Times  as  Much 


^ 

BRING  TH  IS  BILL 

WITH    YOU 

V  E  -  E  »  a  '"^  o  -^  N  c                           B  A  -: 

*'  f    ^  '^     J  ; .  .-  •    '"j : 

f/^ 

« 

z 

SrPfL 

< 

TO  RACINE  WATER  COMPANY  o^ 

ri^OV     AP»'*-L    '      "'^fll      TO     J 

-  ♦.  <"    '     •  v '  - 

Ci 

'So 

^-^J^^l 

Racine  Water  Bill 

In  the  second  place,  special  effort  has  been  made  by 
those  who  have  had  the  management  of  the  water  plant 
in  charge  to  make  the  conditions  of  labor  good.  Wages, 
hours  and  general  conditions  are  considerably  better 
than  the  average  in  similar  employments  under  private 
ownership. 

And,  finally,  after  supplying  the  city  of  Milwaukee 
with  its  nearly  400,000  population  with  water,  not 
only  for  private  uses,  but  for  the  sprinkling  of  streets, 
for  the  care  of  its  numerous  parks,  for  flushing  of  its 
sewers,  and  for  fire  protection,  the  city  has  cleared  a 
handsome  surplus  every  year.  The  profit  on  the  water 
plant  has  averaged  $53,000  per  year  during  the  entire 
period  of  public  ownership.  Last  year  $200,000  was 
turned  into  the  general  city  fund  by  the  water  depart- 
ment. 

The  secretary  of  the  department  some  time  ago  gave 

ii6 


Water  in  Superior 


R.-;    N. 


"r'i< 


T«  Superior  Water,  Light  ^  Power  Co.  ^^ 


JULY.  I9tj 


l«4«x    ol    Meter  >  ^-    ^^     UO  C»,  it 

Co««ui«pUon  X^   (K)  Cu.  It.  ,,,  ,„.  ,,.  „„,,,, ,,,.  ,.,,„..,  $  -i*"  ^  4» 

L«M  dweount  il  pattt  !>y  tte  i5tL  ol  tkc  aiontli        ^         ,        _         _  _        $„_„^„  ^X-H 

Net  Bai  $      --^    ^A-y 

Re«'<3  r>4>a5<r«i  '"'•'  fc>al.*J3C«   iryOJ  Idwt  OJt>atk»    $ 

SUPE8I«8  WATER,  LIGHT  4  POWEIt  CO.     R«.t  oi  M^t.r  -  -      $ 

Sun<Jrtc*        -         -  -         $  : 


rAtLWHt  TO  «tCt!Vt  ftitiS  OOCS  NOT  tXTtWOOtSCOUWT 


Costs  Five  Times  as^Much  as  in  Milwaukee 

out  a  carefully  prepared  report  in  which  he  showed 
that,  comparing  the  work  of  the  water  department  of 
the  city,  taking  everything  into  consideration,  with 
prices  that  were  current  under  private  ownership  and 
operation,  the  plant  has  saved  the  city  and  its  people 
$17,852,618.87. 

Truly,  a  splendid  showing ! 

And  one  of  the  striking  features  of  the  municipal 
control  of  this  public  utility  is  that  the  poor  man  is 
given  equal  show  with  the  rich.  Under  private  own- 
ership it  is  the  other  way.  The  man  who  buys  enor- 
mous quantities  of  water  is  given  a  lower  rate.  And 
thus  the  rich  have  the  advantage  of  the  poor. 

In  the  Milwaukee  plant,  owned  by  the  city,  the  rich 
are  charged  the  same  rate  as  the  poor. 

This  does  not  seem  so  significant  until  the  fact  ap- 
pears that  on  this  basis :  38.8  per  cent  of  the  total 
cash  receipts  of  the  water  department   are   paid  by 

117 


thirty  of  the  largest  consumers.  This  leaves  the  re- 
maining 60  per  cent  of  the  expense  to  be  divided  among 
45,500  consumers.  And  it  is  this  feature  of  the  plant 
which,  after  all,  is  the  only  equitable  basis  for  the 
operation  of  a  public  utility  that  lightens  the  burden 
of  the  cost  of  living  upon  the  poor  man. 

These  are  the  kind  of  results  the  Social-Democrats 
seek.  Public  ownership  progressively  applied,  taking 
one  after  the  other  of  the  public  utilities,  will  reduce 
the  cost  of  living,  improve  labor  conditions  and  pro- 
duce revenues  for  the  city. 

This  is  the  policy  of  the  administration  with  regard 
to  public  iltilities. 

Facts  Concerning  the  Water  .Works  Department 

With  reference  to  the  progress  made  in  the  Water 
Works  Department,  the  tables  and  explanations  below 
illustrate  what  has  been  done  during  the  years  1909, 
1910  and  1911 : 

The  Extension  of  Water  Mains 


Lineal 

Av.  cost 

Av.  cost  of  lay- 

Year. 

Miles. 

feet. 

per  ton. 

ing,  per  lineal  ft. 

1909 

12.65 

66953 

$24.61 

$0.78 

1910 

16.55 

87419 

25.33 

.79 

1911 

22.1 

103881 

24.59 

.75 

Most  of  the  work  done  during  the  year  1911  was  in 
the  outskirts,  where,  in  a  great  many  cases,  people  have 
been  within  the  city  limits,  without  having  improve- 
ments, for  a  number  of  years.  One  of  the  jobs  that 
was  done  during  the  past  summer  in  this  line  relieved 
a  portion  of  the  South  Side  and  the  city  of  West  AUis 
from  a  water  famine.  This  portion  of  the  city  and 
suburb  have  been  suffering  during  the  hot  weather  for 
a  number  of  years,  but  are  now  permanently  relieved. 

w  w  ^ 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1911  a  crew  was 
organized  to  test  the  underground  water  piping,  some 
of  which  has  been  laying  in  the  ground  as  long  as  forty 
years.     At  the  present  time  there  are  nearly  500  miles 

ii8 


of  water  mains  in  the  streets  of  the  city  of  Milwaukee. 
On  an  average,  there  is  a  lead  joint  every  eleven  feet, 
and  naturally  there  would  be  a  great  many  leaks  from 
open  or  imperfect  joints.  In  some  cases  the  leaks  came 
to  the  surface  and  the  joints  were  repaired.  In  oth- 
ers, where  the  pipe  is  close  to  a  sewer,  the  water  finds 
its  way  to  the  sewer.  There  are  also  a  great  many 
taps  that  have  been  abandoned  or  broken  off  during  a 
fire,  as,  for  instance,  during  the  fire  of  the  Third  Ward. 
Up  to  the  present  time  this  crew,  which  cost  the  city 
on  an  average  of  $250  per  month,  have  stopped  leaks 
amounting  to  nearly  two  and  one-half  million  gallons 
of  water  per  day. 

%  ^  ^ 

Ninety-five  per  cent  of  the  factories  of  the  city  of 
Milwaukee  have  four  or  six  inch  mains  in  their  facto- 
ries that  are  not  metered.  These  mains  supply  the 
sprinkler  systems  and  should  not  be  used  for  anything 
but  fire  extinguishing  purposes.  Occasionally,  how- 
ever, either  by  mistake  or  otherwise,  some  of  these 
pipes  are  tapped  for  other  than  fire  extinguishing  pur- 
poses, as,  for  instance,  feeding  steam  boilers,  etc.  This 
summer  two  inspectors  were  appointed  to  go  from  fac- 
tory to  factory,  check  over  all  the  connections,  make 
sketches  of  the  piping  in  each  factory,  and  place  them 
on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Water  Department.  The  re- 
sults obtained  from  these  two  inspectors  were  very  sat- 
isfactory. 

#         *         * 

For  the  last  twelve  or  fifteen  years  the  Water  De- 
partment has  been  suffering  great  losses  due  to  elec- 
trolysis. Thi^  is  produced  by  stray  electric  currents 
from  the  car  lines  over  the  water  mains  to  the  power 
house.  Last  spring  and  summer  a  survey  was  made  with 
a  view  of  determining,  if  possible,  what  could  be  done  to 
minimize  the  further  damaging  of  this  underground 
pipe  system;  also  to  determine,  if  possible,  what  the 
damage  by  electrolysis  has  been  up  to  the  present  time, 
and  if  a  reasonable  estimate  can  be  made  of  the  dam- 

119 


age  already  done,  the  street  railway  company  will  be 
requested,  and,  if  necessary,  forced,  to  pay  for  this 
damage. 

M,  M,  M^ 

w  w  ^^ 

The  work  to  be  done  during  the  year  1912  in  the 
Water  Works  Department  will  be  as  follows: 

Twenty  miles  of  service  mains. 

One  42-inch  line  from  the  North  Point  pumping  sta- 
tion across  the  Milwaukee  river. 

One  12-foot  tunnel  beginning  at  the  foot  of  Linn- 
wood  avenue,  extending  under  the  lake  in  a  northeast- 
erly direction  4,000  feet  to  a  shaft  and  crib.  This  tun- 
nel, shaft  and  crib  are  for  the  new  intake  and  will 
probably  not  be  finished  during  1912,  but  will  run  over 

to  1913. 

*         *         * 

We  have  found  this  summer  that  the  high  service 
pumping  station  can  be  operated  with  two  crews  in- 
stead of  three  crews.  That  is  to  say,  the  night  crew 
practically  came  down  to  the  pumping  station  to  sleep, 
as  all  the  pumping  during  the  night  could  be  done  at 
the  North  Point  pumping  station.  The  42-inch  main 
mentioned  above,  when  completed,  will  enable  the  de- 
partment to  dispense  with  the  high  service  pumping 
station  altogether  and  do  all  the  pumping  from  the 
North  Point  station.  This  will  save  the  Water  Works 
Department  an  annual  operating  expense  of  $15,000. 

^  w  w 

On  looking  over  the  working  conditions  of  the  men 
in  the  various  pumping  and  sewerage  stations,  it  was 
found  that  the  men  were  working  all  year,  seven  days  a 
week,  with  the  exception  of  ten  days'  vacation.  A 
change  was  made  last  fall  by  which  every  man  gets  one 
day  off  in  fifteen,  thus  giving  every  man  at  least  two 
days  a  month  for  rest. 


120 


Milwaukee  Municipal  Water  Works 

General  Statistics,  January  1,  1912. 


Estimated  population  supplied 390,000 

City  datum  above  mean  tide  New  York,  ft.  580.75 

Date  of  construction  of  water  works ....        1872-1874 
Cost  of  water  works  up  to  Jan.  1,  1912.  .  $7,189,101.65 

Total  length  of  intake  tunnel,  feet 8,200 

(3,200  feet   of  7y2-foot   brick   tunnel 
and  two  5-foot  pipe   lines   5,000  feet 
each. ) 
Depth  of  water  at  intake  tunnel,  feet. ...  60 

Date  of  construction  of  intake  tunnel ....        1890-1895 

Reservoir  completed 1873 

Water  area  of  reservoir,  acres 3% 

Size  of  reservoir,  feet 310x515 

Capacity  of  reservoir 21,000,000 

Heighth  of  water  in  reservoir  above  da- 
tum when  full,  feet 150 

Daily  pumping  capacity  North  Point  Sta- 
tion,  gallons 110,000,000 

Average  dynamic   head  of  water  North 
Point  station,  feet — 

Low   service 157.89 

High   service 232.71 

Average  high  and  low  service 177.47 

Height    of    water    tower    above    ground, 

North  Point  -station,  feet 175 

Standpipe  in  water  tower,  North  Point 
station,  4  -feet  in  diameter,   125  feet 

high,  capacity,  gallons 12,000 

Daily  pumping  capacity,  high  service  sta- 
tion,  gallons 25,000,000 

Average  dynamic  head  of  water  above  da- 
tum, at  high  service  station,  feed. .  . .  ,  220.60 
Height    of    water    tower    above    ground, 

high  service  station,  feet 159 


121 


Standpipe  in  water  tower,   high  service 
station,  15  feet  in  diameter,  150  feet 

high,  capacity,  gallons 200,000 

Average  daily  consumption,  1911,  gallons  44,777,132 
Total  consumption  for  year  1911,  gals.  .  16,343,653,340 
Highest    consumption    for    any    one    day 

(1911),  July  11,  gallons ,.  . . .  65,745,530 

Lowest    consumption    for    any    one    day 

(1911),  January  1,  gallons 29,836,700 

Gallons  per  day  to  each  inhabitant 111.9. 

Miles  of  water  mains  (4-inch  to  42-inch) .  483 

Number  of  fire  hydrants 3,264 

Number  of  gate  valves 3,465 

Number  of  service  taps  and  branches  in 

actual  use 56,251 

Number  of  meters 55,291 

Percentage  of  services  metered 98.2 

Range  of  pressure,  pounds 20'— 60 

Cost  of  water  to  consumer  per  1,000  gals.  6c 
Bonded  debt,  less  sinking  fund  December 

31,  1910 $36,250.00 

Water  Registrar 

In  this  department  a  number  of  important  improve- 
ments have  been  made.  The  methods  of  accounting 
have  been  reorganized  in  co-operation  with  and  under 
the  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Efficiency  and  Economy. 

The  old  bookkeeping  methods  have  been  eliminated 
and  the  modern  card  index  system  introduced.  This 
has  resulted  in  the  saving  of  the  service. of  one  clerk. 
The  introduction  of  an  addressograph  and  graphotype 
in  the  work  of  issuing  water  tax  bills  has  added  effi- 
ciency and  economy  in  the  department.  Formerly 
thirty  meter  readers  were  required  to  spend  from  five 
to  six  days  each  quarter  in  the  office  addressing  water 
tax  notices.  Very  much  of  this  work  has  been  elimi- 
nated by  the  improved  methods.  A  saving  of  about 
$2,200  in  printing  and  postage  expenses  is  secured  in 
this  way. 

122 


CONSOLIDATION  OF  POLICE  AND  FIRE  ALARM 
SYSTEMS 

One  of  the-  notable  achievements  of  the  Social- 
Democratic  administration  in  the  direction  of  greater 
efficiency  and'  economy  is  the  consolidation  of  the 
police  and  fire  alarm  systems. 

When  first  proposed  it  was  bitterly  opposed  by  the 
heads  of  both  the  police  and  fire  departments.  It  was 
stubbornly  resisted  for  eighteen  months  in  the  council 
and  elsewhere.  But  the  administration  overcame  all 
of  these  difficulties,  and  has  finally  succeeded  in  effect- 
ing the  consolidation. 

A  study  was  made  of  the  consolidated  systems  in 
other  cities  and  a  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Efficiency 
and  Economy  put  out  on  the  subject. 

Many  advantages  result  from  this  consolidation. 
In  the  first  place,  an  economy  of  many  thousands  of 
dollars  a  year  is  effected  by  reason  of  the  consolidation. 
One  system  of  wires  and  conduits  serves  for  both  de- 
partments, and  the  same  with  a  number  of  superin- 
tendents and  employes. 

For  example,  under  the  consolidation  the  systems 
are  operated  with  one  superintendent  instead  of  three ; 
eight  men  do  the  work  on  the  laying  of  conduits  where 
sixteen  were  required  before,  and  two  conduits  serve 
the  purpose  where  before  three  were  needed. 

Incidentally,  we  have  found  that  the  telephone  in- 
struments, for  which  the  city  formerly  had  been  paying 
$3  rental  per  year,  can  now  be  bought  by  the  city, 
through  the  Purchasing  Department,  at  $1.73.  The 
old  style  of  police  boxes  cost  all  the  way  from  $100  to 
$150  each,  while  the  new  style  of  post  for  the  combined 
service  costs  only  $56. 

The  total  economy  has  been  estimated  at  between 
$5,000  and  $8,000  per  year. 

But,  in  addition  to  the  economy,  there  are  other 
and  even  more  important  advantages  resulting,  from 
this  consolidation.  The  new  combination  posts,  as 
they  are  called,  are  much  more  serviceable  than  the 

123 


New  Fire  and  Police  Alarm  Post 


The  Beginning  of  a  Municipal  Telephone 

old-fashioned  police  boxes,  and  cost  much  less.  These 
combination  posts  will  have  an  opening  on  one  side  for 
the  use  of  the  fire  department.  On  the  other  side,  and 
entirely  separate,  will  be  another  opening  that  will 
contain  the  secret  telephone  service  for  the  police  de- 
partment. On  the  third  side  will  be  the  wires  for 
municipal  or  city  use. 

In  this  way  all  of  the  departments  of  the  city  will 
have  a  telephone  service  at  their  command.  A  combi- 
nation post  of  this  kind  will  be  placed  in  every  ward, 
so  that  the  employes  of  the  city  can  communicate  by 

124 


telephone  with  any  city  office  required.  The  workers 
on  the  streets  can  call  up  the  incinerator  plant  if  their 
wagons  break  down.  The  sewer  inspector  can  report 
to  his  office  without  using  the  capitalistic  telephone. 
The  ward  foremen  can  call  up  the  Department  of  Pub- 
lic Works  and  be  on  the  job  all  the  time.  The  health 
inspectors  can  use  the  combination  post  for  their  work. 
A  red  light  on  the  combination  post  will  enable  one  to 
quickly  find  the  fire  alarm  box. 

The  city  now  has  in  service  a  telephone  system  cov- 
ering 354  telephones,  located  as  follows :  Police  boxes, 
291;  engine  houses,  trucks,  chemicals  and  patrol 
houses,  63.  There  are  about  100,  more  public  buildings 
that  can  easily  be  put  in  direct  communication  with 
the  city  central  in  the  city  hall.  These  include  high 
schools,  district  schools,  hospitals,  ward  yards,  and 
other  public  buildings. 

In  this  way  the  consolidation  of  the  police  and  fire 
alarm  systems  has  become  the  nucleus  of  a  municipal 
telephone  system  which  the  administration  proposes  to 
develop. 


Milwaukee  Welcoming  the  Sunrise 


STATIONARY  ENGINEElRS-BOARD  OF 
EXAMINERS 

One  of  the  greatest  dangers  in  the  realm  of  indus- 
trial accident  is  from  boiler  explosions  and  engine  acci- 
dents of  various  kinds. 

And  most  of  the  danger  comes  from  the  employ- 
ment of  incompetent  or  careless  engineers  and  boiler 
operators. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  an  effort  has  been  made  to 
secure  some  kind  of  supervision  in  this  matter.  But 
not  until  the  Social-Democrats  came  into  office  was  the 
provision  secured. 

In  the  summer  of  1911  an  ordinance  was  passed 
requiring  licenses  of  stationary  engineers  and  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  board  of  examiners. 

Under  this  ordinance  engineers  are  required  to  se- 
cure licenses  in  order  to  operate  engines  and  boilers. 
To  do  so  they  must  pass  an  examination  before  this 
board.  As  a  result,  the  incompetent  and  careless 
workmen  are  eliminated. 

Up  to  January  1,  1912,  1,395  licenses  had  been 
issued  and  533  plants  had  been  inspected,  the  inspec- 
tion work  being  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  important 
elements  in  guarding  against  dangerous  and  improper 
conditions. 

The  fee  for  an  unrestricted  license  is  $3  and  for  a 
restricted  license  is  $2,  and  $1  for  annual  renewals. 
The  total  receipts  from  June  1  to  January  1,  1912, 
were  $3,127.  The  expenditures  amounted  to  $3,192,  so 
it  will  be  seen  that  almost  from  the  beginning  the  de- 
partment is  self-sustaining.  Later  on  it  will  be  fully  so. 

The  establishment  of  this  board  and  the  system  of 
inspections  have  met  with  the  hearty  approval  of  the 
various  labor  and  business  organizations  involved.  Its 
main  purpose  is  simply  the  better  protection  of  life  and 
property.  But,  incidentally,  it  operates  also  to  im- 
prove the  conditions  of  the  workingman.  It  naturally 
eliminates  the  careless,  incompetent  and  indifferent 
elements   from   the    craft.     This,    in    turn,    results    in 

126 


strengthening  the  organized  workers,  who  stand  always 
for  better  conditions,  shorter  hours,  better  pay  and 
better  service. 

Building  Inspector's  Department 

The  Building  Inspector's  Department  made  for  the 
city  last  year,  over  and  above  its  operating  expenses, 
$881.10. 

This  is  one  of  the  few  departments  in  the  city  gov- 
ernment that  produces  a  surplus. 

Incidentally,  this  department  also  disproves  the 
charge  against  the  present  administration  in  regard  to 
building  operations  in  the  city.  The  records  show 
that  7,108  buildings  of  different  kinds  have  been  erect- 
ed during  the  year,  involving  an  investment  of  $12,- 
326,078.  Socialism  and  a  Social-Democratic  adminis- 
tration do  not  seem  to  have  frightened  this  capital 
away. 

The  operations  of  the  building  inspector  cover  two 
different  lines:  A,  the  building  department;  and,  B, 
the  elevator  department.  The  department  has  shown 
special  activity  in  securing  better  regulations  of  the 
building  operations  and  better  conditions  with  regard 
to  elevator  service. 

Besides  the  inspection  of  buildings,  439  elevator 
certificates  have  been  issued  and  1,790  licenses  to  ele- 
vator operators  have  been  issued. 

New  ordinances  have  been  drafted  and  their  pas- 
sage secured  with  reference  to  the  following  matters: 
Dry  cleaning  establishments,  regulation  of  combustion 
engines,  storage  of  explosives,  regulation  of  garages, 
picture  shows,  excavation,  soils  and  foundations. 

Ordinances  are  also  in  process  of  formulation  bear- 
ing on  buildings  in  the  business  section  and  fire  district, 
floor  areas,  concrete  blocks,  permits,  signs,  storage  of 
oils,  elevators,  moving  of  buildings,  unsafe  and  con- 
demned buildings. 

127 


Why  Milwaukee  Sticks  to  the 
Social-Democrats 

What  We  Used  to  Have  and 
What  We  Have  Now 


THEN 

They  are  crying  to  get 
back: 

David  S.  Rose 

Joseph  P.  Carney 

Dr.  G.  A.  Bading 

Graft 

254  indictments 

23  convictions 

Perpetual  grand  jury  re- 
quired 

Paving  fraud 

No  inventory  of  city  prop- 
erty 

Chaos  in  city  records  and 
accounts 

Slipshod  budget 

$216,000  deficit 

City's  credit  shaky 

Low  wages 

Unfair  assessments 

Six  millions  of  dollars  of 
taxes  let  off 

Unjust  taxes 

1900  street  car  franchise 
steal 


NOW 

The  reason  why  they 
cannot  come  back : 
Emil  Seidel 
Charles  Whitnall 
Carl  P.  Dietz 
Unquestioned  honesty 
Municipal  ownership 
Municipal  exhibit 
Corporations  he^d  to  their 

contracts 
Paving  fraud  halted 
Inventory 

City's  finances  untangled 
Scientific  budget 
Tax  dodgers  on  the  mat 
A  surplus 
City's  credit  restored  and 

established 
Union  labor  conditions 
Municipal      light      plant 

started 

Readjustment  of  taxation 
Model  franchise 


Bureau  of  Bridges  and 
Public  Buildings 


The  Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Buildings  was 
organized  late  in  1910  and  Mr.  L.  J.  Klug  placed  at 
its  head.  This  bureau  is  responsible  to  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  Works  for  the  design,  construction, 
operation  and  maintenance  of  all  bridges  in  the  city 
and  of  all  public  buildings  outside  the  direct  control 
of  the  School  Board,  Museum  and  Library  Board. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  this  bureau  also  handles 
the  work  of  docking,  dredging  and  harbor  improve- 
ments, as  well  as  the  south  side  and  northwest  side 
track  elevation  work. 

All  of  the  above  work  was  executed  in  1911  by 
the  Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Buildings,  its  .organ- 
ization consisting  of  the  following  employees : 

Administration  Salary  Per  Annum 

Supt.  of  Bureau  of  Bridges  &  Public  Bldgs.  .$2,500.00 

Architectural  Draftsman    1,800.00 

Asst.  Architectural  Draftsmsan 900.00 

Structural  Draftsman   1,800.00 

Stenographer    720'.00 

Timekeeper    , 720.00 

Total  supplies  440.00 

Some  of  these  employes  worked  only  a  part  of 
the  year,  and  the  total  cost  of  administra- 
tion for  the  year  was $7,000.00 


Maintenance  of  Movable  Bridges 

1  Field   Superintendent    $1,800.00  per  annum 

129 


1  Electrician    840.00  per  annum 

Total  salaries  for  Iron  Workers.  .  .$3,030.00 

Total  salaries  for  Carpenters 6,690.00 

Total  salaries  for  Painters 2,380.00 

Total    salaries     for    miscellaneous 

work 730.00 

$15,470.00 

Total  material  for  repairs 7,290.00 

Total $22,760'.00 


Operation  of  Movable  Bridges 

12  Bridge  Tenders  at  $840.00  per  year $10,080.00 

71  Bridge  Tenders  at    720.00  per  year 51,120.00 

Bridge  Tenders'  Vacations 1,640.00 

$62,840.00 
Total  supplies 3,600.00 

Total    $66,440.00 


Summary : 

Bridge  Maintenance   $22,760.00 

Bridge  Operation   : 66,440.00 

Grand  total $89,200.00 


Total  number  of  openings  for  all  MOVABLE 
BRIDGES,  95,840. 

Average  cost  per  opening  of  bridge,  93  cents. 

Bridge  having  maximum  number  of  openings  per 
year  is  the  one  at  East  AA^ater  street,  which  opened 
16,936  times  in  1911. 

130 


Operation   and   Maintenance   of   Stationary   Bridges 
and  Viaducts 

9  Bridge  Sweepers  at  $600.00....$  5,400.00 

Ironworkers   1,670.00 

Carpenters    . 5,550.00 

Painters 7,960.00 

Miscellaneous    3,520.00 

$24,100.00 

Total  materials   13,610.00 

Total    -. $37,710.00 


Natatoria  and  Bathing  Beaches 

Maintenance  of  Natatoria  and  Bathing  Beaches: 

Total  amount  spent  for  repairs  and  replacements, 
$7,330.00. 

Extensive  repairs  and  replacements  were  made  at 
the  West  Side  and  Northwest  Side  Natatoria: 

West  Side $4,000.00 

N.  W.  Side  (still  in  process) 2,400.00 

Operation  of  Natatoria : 

Four  (4)  Natatoria,  each  supplied  with  1  superin- 
tendent, 2  assistant  superintendents,  1  fireman  and  1 
matron.  The  Northwest  Side  Natatorium  has  1  extra 
fireman,  on  account  of  extra  firing  required  for  the 
library,  which  is  a  part  of  building.  The  total  salaries 
for  all  Natatoria  per  annum  equals  $15,920.00;  total 
attendance  for  year  1,150,000  (including  men,  women 
and  children). 

Total  cost  of  operation  and  maitenance,  $31,750.00. 

Average  cost  per  capita  for  total  yearly  attendance, 
2  76-100  cents,  or  about  2%   cents.     This,  of  course, 
does  not  include  interest  on  investment  and  deprecia- 
tion on  buildings. 
Total  cost  of  Natatoria $163,880.00 

131 


McKinley  Park  Bath  House  and  South  Shore  Bathing 
Pavilion 

The  cost  of  operating  the  Bathing  Beaches  was 
$2,360.00,  and  the  cost  of  maintenance  of  Bathing 
Beaches  was  $480.00'. 

No  records  of  attendance  were  kept.  A  method  is 
being  worked  out  at  present  whereby  such  records 
can  be  obtained  during  the  coming  season. 

The  cost  of  McKinley  Park  Bath  House  and  South 
Shore  Bathing  Pavilion  was  $16,000.00. 


CITY  HALL 

Engine  Room  (7  employees) 

Total  salaries  \ ." $  6,400.00 

Total  supplies    10,000.00 

Total  repairs    2,500.00 

$18,920.00 

Elevators  (5  employees) 

Total  salaries $  3,900.00 

Total  repairs   800.00 

New  signals 1,025.00 

. $  5,785.00 

MUNICIPAL  STORAGE  BUILDING 

Cost  of  this  building $35,000.00 

Cost  of  operating  for  1911 1,500.00 

COMFORT  STATION 

(On  6th  St.  Viaduct,  at  Canal  St.) 
This  Comfort  Station  was  opened  to  the  public  on 
August  21,  1911.  The  concession  in  connection  with 
same  was  rented  to  a  party  at  a  salary  of  $15.00  per 
month.  The  city  maintained  the  building  and  fur- 
nished all  supplies.  The  station  was  well  patronized 
and  kept  open  from  6  A.  M.  to  8  P.  M.  daily.  The  cost 
of  the  building  was  $2,100'.00. 

132 


SUMMARY 

Total  cost  of  City  Hall,  Natatoria,  Bath  Houses, 
Storage  Building  and  Comfort  Station,  $1,442,000.00. 

Total  cost  of  all  bridges  and  buildings  enumerated, 
$4,783,000.00'. 

Note.— This  includes  the  cost  of  the  grounds  for 
buildings. 

HARBOR  MASTER 

The  Harbor  Master  has  charge  of  the  supervision 
of  inner-harbor  and  has  police  power  to  move  any 
boats  which  interfere  with  navigation.  He  is  provided 
with  a  gasoline  launch,  and  the  total  cost  of  his  salary 
and  the  maintenance  of  boat  amounted  to  $1,725.00 
for  the  year  1911. 

DREDGING 

The  total  cost  of  dredging  for  the  season  of  1911 
amounted  to  $24,315.52.  This  work  was  started  May, 
1911,  and  ended  December,  1911.  The  total  number 
of  cubic  yards  dredged  was  180,115,  at  13%  cents  per 
cubic  yard.  The  work  was  subject  to  the  inspection 
of  the  Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Buildings.  An 
inspector  was  appointed  for  the  season  and  proper 
reports  of  progress  were  submitted. 

Boats  as  large  as  60  feet  beam  and  600  feet  length 
and  drawing  19  feet  of  water  are  using  the  rivers,  and 
this  requires  additional  depth  of  water. 

TRACK  ELEVATION 

The  south  side  track  elevation  work  received  con- 
siderable attention  during  1911,  and  the  statements  of 
the  Railroad  Commission  at  the  last  hearing  in  Mad- 
ison in  December,  1911,  indicate  that  an  order  covering 
the  execution  of  this  work  will  be  issued  in  the  near 
future.  The  total  cost  of  the  work  would  perhaps 
aggregate  $3,000,000.00,  and  its  consummation  will 
have  a  most  important  bearing  upon  the  transporta- 
tion problem  of  the  city.    Nothing  definite  has  resulted 

133 


in  the  Northwest  Side  Track  Elevation,  although  sev- 
eral important  public  hearings  have  been  held  before 
the  Railroad  Commission. 

NEW  WORK 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  new  work  started  in 

1911.    Some  of  this  work  has  not  yet  been  completed. 

In  every  case  all  plans  and  specifications  for  the  work 

were  drawn  by  the  Bureau   of  Bridges  and  Public 

Buildings : 

Oneida  St.  Bascule  Bridge $97,000.00 

Oneida  St.  Pontoon  (foot  bridge)     3,000.00 

Chicago  Avenue  Reinforced  Con- 
crete Bridge 7,000.00 

Fourth  Avenue  Reinforced  Con- 
crete Bridge 3,200.00 

Fifth  Avenue  Reinforced  Con- 
crete Bridge 3,350.00 

Clinton  Street  Protection  Pier..     5,800.00 

Protection     piling     at     various 

bridges    : 8,000.00 

Ei'xtensive  repairs  to  16th  St.  Via- 
duct, side  approach 6,000.00 

Iron  stairway  Holton  St.  Viaduct       590.00 

Southwest  Side  Natatorium 52,000.00 

Isolation  Hospital,  18th  and 
Mitchell 70,000.00    . 

South  Shore  Bath  House 11,500.00 

Comfort  Station  (6th  St.  Viad.) .     2,000.00 

Locker  Building  at  Incinerator 
Plant 2,600.00 

Scale  House  at  Incinerator  Plant        900.00 

Power  House  at  Incinerator  Plant  11,500.00 

Completion  of  Greenfield  Sani- 
tarium        2,500.00 

New  scale  at  Buffalo  and  Jackson 

Streets 300.00 

Oil    Houses    at   Humboldt,    16th 

and  34th  Streets 3,500.00 

14th  Ward  Engine  House 16,000.00 

134 


20th  Ward  Engine  House 21,000.00 

West  Side  Natatopium  remoderg    4,000.00 
Northwest   Side   Natatorium   re- 
modeling       2,400.00 

Partitions    and    remodeling    8th 

floor  City  Hall  5,700.00 

Elevator  signals 1,025.00 

New  switchboard,  Engine  Room, 

City  Hall 1,100.00 

Johnson      Emergency     Hospital 

Fire  Escape 285.00 

Chestnut  St.  Protection  Pier 6,600.00 

New   boiler,    South    Side   Police 

Station 600.00 


$349,450.00 


In  connection  with  this  report  we  mention  the  fact 
that  a  great  deal  of  work  which  in  former  years  was 
done  by  formal  contract  was  executed  in  1911  by 
direct  employment.  This  procedure  would,  of  course, 
cause  increases  in  the  bureau's  payrolls.  The  following 
comprises  work  of  this  nature  and  gives  the  cost  of 
labor  involved: 

Wrecking  old  Oneida  St.  swing  bridge $    954.00 

Oneida  Street  Foot  Bridge 1,180.00 

16th  St.Viaduct  reconstruction  (completion..  1,130.00 

Drawing  plans  for  buildings 2,210.00 

Remodeling  West  Side  Natatorium 579.00 

Oil  Houses 286.00 

Greenfield  Sanatorium 218.00 

McKinley  Park  Bath  House 223.00 

Babies'  Pavilion 115.00 

Partitions,  8th  and  9th  floors,  City  Hall 1,700.00 

City  Hall  repairs 1,110.00 

Comfort  Station 110.00 

Cement  work,  First  Ave.  Bridge 76.00 

Total •. $9,891.00 

135 


The  item  of  $2,210.00  for  drawing  plans  for  build- 
ings covers  the  entire  cost  of  preparation  of  plans  and 
specifications  for  the  following  buildings : 

Southwest  Side  Natatorium: $  52,000.00 

Isolation  Hospital 70,000.00 

South  Shore  Bath  House 11,500.00 

Comfort  Station 2,000.00 

Locker  Building,  Incinerator  Plant 2,600.00 

Scale  House,  Incinerator  Plant 900.00 

Power  House,  Incinerator  Plant 11,500.00 

Completion  of  Greenfield  Sanatorium 2,500.00 

Total $153,000.00 

If  this  work  had  been  designed  by  architects  the 
fees  to  be  paid  would  have  amounted  to  5  per  cent,  of 
$153,000.00,  or  $7,650.00,  whereas  the  actual  amount 
paid  out  in  salaries  was  only  $2,210.00,  netting  a  saving 
of  $5,440.00.  In  addition  to  this  saving  I  believe  that 
the  work  has  been  prosecuted  far  more  effectively  than 
if  it  had  been  done  in  the  usual  way  by  architects.  In 
every  case  where  direct  employment  has  been  used, 
more  effective  work  has  resulted,  as  well  as  economy. 

Asphalt  Repair  Plant— A  Beginning  of  Direct 
Employment 

The  Social-Democrats,  as  is  well  known,  favor  direct 
employment  in  all  public  work.  They  were  blocked  in 
the  effort  to  apply  this  principle  in  street  construction 
work  by  the  minority.  They  did  succeed,  however,  in 
introducing  the  principle  in  a  limited  way  in  the 
asphalt  repair  work. 

The  city  already  owned  a  small  asphalt  plant,  very 
insignificant,  in  fact.  Its  maximum  capacity  was  about 
forty-five  yards  a  day. 

The  Socialists  put  F.  W.  "Wilson  in  charge  of  this 
plant,  and  he  has  shown  what  a  good  man,  working  on 
good  principles,  can  do  for  the  city.  Some  8,807  yards 
of  asphalt  was  laid  in  the  city  streets.  The  total  cost 
was  $8,661,  or  about  99  cents  a  square  yard. 

136 


Asphalt  Repair  Plant — Capacity  45  yards  per  Day 


Wilson  Made  it  Save  the  City  $8,000 


Of  this,  however,  about  3,588  yards  were  laid  for  va- 
rious corporations  and  individuals.  This  was  charged 
for  at  the  rate  of  $1.50  per  square  yard,  bringing  a 
total  revenue  of  $5,382.42.  The  former  price  had  been 
$2  per  square  yard.  Thus  these  individuals  and  corpo- 
rations were  saved  50  cents  per  square  yard  on  the 
work  done  for  them,  while  the  city,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  making  a  profit.  This  profit  operated  to  reduce 
the  expense  of  asphalt  repair  work. 

The  total  expense  for  operating  this  small  plant  was 
$8,661.04;  deducting  the  revenue  derived  from  plumb- 
ers and  public  service  corporations,  leaves  a  net  ex- 
pense to  the  city  of  $3,279.58.  Total  number  of  yards 
patched  in  the  city,  due  to  wear  and  tear  of  traffic, 
was  5,219,  which  makes  an  average  cost  of  64^  cents 
per  square  yard. 

137 


Thus  this  little  plant  has  demonstrated  in  a  simple 
way  the  practicability  of  the  plan  of  the  Socialists  for 
direct  employment.  And  this  fine  showing  is  made  by 
a  plant  with  a  maximum  capacity  of  forty-five  square 
yards  per  day!  The  new  plant  just  constructed,  and 
about  to  be  put  into  service,  has  a  capacity  of  from  750 
to  1,000  yards  per  day.  We  anticipate  that  the  price 
of  repairing  pavements  will  go  far  below  64%  cents 
per  square  yard. 

The  New  Municipal  Asphalt  Repair  Plant 


Capacity  1000  Yards  Per  Day 


City  Engineer's  Department 

This  department  is  under  process  of  reorganization. 
At  the  present  it  is  in  charge  of  Mr.  Joseph  Mesiroff, 
one  of  Milwaukee's  most  competent  engineers. 

Mr.  Mesiroff  has  charge  of  the  engineering  features 

138 


of  a  number  of  different  departments  and  is  co-ordinat- 
ing and  improving  thein  all. 

The  Sewerage  System 

Some  of  the  territory  that  has  been  annexed  to  the 
city  as  far  back  as  twelve  and  fifteen  years  ago  has 
had  no  sewerage  facilities  until  this  last  year. 

The  following  table  shows  the  construction  work 
done  during  1910  and  1911,  as  compared  with  that  of 
the  previous  year  before  the  Socialists  came  in: 

Cost  of        Cost  of  insp. 


Year 

Miles 

Cost 

inspection 

per  1,000 

1909 

4.6 

$  80,245.44 

$3,137.50 

$128.00 

1910 

9.26 

150,390.78 

5,595.10 

114.40 

1911 

11.15 

171,820.96 

7,322.00 

124.00 

This  table  shows  that  there  were  4%  miles  of  sewers 
built  in  1909 ;  in  1910  nearly  twice  as  much  work  was 
done,  or  9.26  miles;  in  1911  still  more  improvements 
were  made,  or  11.15  miles. 

And,  besides,  the  work  under  the  Socialist  admin- 
istration was  done  more  cheaply  than  formerly;  even 
the  construction  per  thousand  feet  was  less  than  for- 
merly. Here  again  is  evidence  that  the  present  ad- 
ministration has  been  economical  in  doing  this  work; 
that  it  has  done  a  great  deal  more  work  than  was  done 
before,  and  that  it  has  done  it  better. 

The  prospective  work  for  1912  has  been  carefully 
planned.  It  will  not  be  possible  to  do  as  much  for  the 
people  in  the  .outskirts  of  the  city  as  is  desirable,  but 
there  will  probably  be  from  30  per  cent  to  50  per  cent 
more  work  in  1912  than  in  1911,  as  much  as  is  neces- 
sary to  satisfy  the  people  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city. 

Aside  from  this  work,  $265,000  was  provided  in  the 
budget  for  special  sewerage  work.  That  is,  in  1912 
$265,000  will  be  spent  on  the  tunnel  that  will  ulti- 
mately, when  completed,  flush  the  Menomonee  river 
with  its  canals  in  the  same  manner  that  the  Kinnic- 
kinnic  and  Milwaukee  rivers  are  cleaned,  and  will  be 
an  inestimable  benefit  to  the  city  of  Milwaukee  in 
general. 

139 


Auxiliary  Lig^hting  Plant 

In  order  to  utilize  the  steam  that  is  being  wasted  in 
the  garbage  plant,  it  was  decided  to  place  one  of  the 
steam  turbine  units  of  the  lighting  plant  at  the  gar- 
bage incinerator  and  use  this  steam  for  producing 
power.  This  power  is  to  be  used  to  operate  the  Mil- 
waukee river  flushing  station  at  McKinley  Park,  also 
to  operate  about  300  arc  lamps  on  the  east  side.  The 
building  of  this  auxiliary  plant  is  now  completed,  the 
foundations  for  the  machinery  built,  and  the  machin- 
ery is  now  being  installed  and  will  be  in  operation 
within  sixty  days. 

Municipal  Lighting"  Plant 

All  designs  and  specifications  for  the  municipal 
lighting  plant  are  completed,  contracts  let  for  the  ma- 

The  First  Instalment — Nearing  Completion 


Milwaukee  Municipal  Light  Plant 

140 


chineiy,  and  the  building  will  soon  be  under  construc- 
tion. This  plant  will  be  up-to-date,  consisting  of  steam 
turbines,  surface  condensers,  water  tube  boilers  and 
Taylor  underfeed  stokers.  It  will  be  the  most  econom- 
ical plant  as  regards  first  cost  and  the  most  efficient 
and  reliable  plant  to  operate. 

Street  Lamps 

Street  lamps  are  now  under  consideration,  and  no 
lamps  that  are  less  than  1,600  candlepower  will  be 
considered  by  the  city  of  Milwaukee,  although  the 
lamps  that  are  at  the  present  time  being  used  through- 
out the  city  are  not  more  than  between  500  and  700 
candlepower.  Some  of  these  lamps  will  appear  on  the 
downtown  corners.  This  is  done  in  order  to  give  the 
lamps  a  practical  as  well  as  a  scientific  test.  It  will 
also  show  by  comparison  what  we  are  getting  now  and 
what  we  are  going  to  get  in  the  way  of  lighting,  when 
the  city  acquires  its  own  lighting  plant. 


BIG  MONEY  FOR  THE  CITY  IN  MUNICIPAL 
OWNERSHIP 

From  Sir  Henry  Fowler's  Return  of  Reproductive 
Undertakings  in  England,  brought  up  to  the  31st  day 
of  March,  1902,  it  appears,  taking  193  water  works, 
97  gas  w^orks,  102  electricity  supplies,  and  45  tramways, 
that  they  earned  an  average  net  profit  (after  the  pay- 
ment of  interest,  depreciation  and  debt  repayment)  of 
$2,786,383.  These  same  enterprises  have  reduced  their 
indebtedness  out  of  earnings  to  the  extent  of  $60,000,- 
000,  and  have  $18,000,000  more  in  their  sinking  fund. 
Certainly,  from  the  taxpayers'  point  of  view,  munici- 
pal ownership  is  not  a  failure. —  [Quoted  in  The  American 
Political  Science  Review  of  May,  1907,  Volume  1,  No.  S.] 


Milwaukee  County 

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC  CANDIDATES— THEIR 
RECORD 


In  this  campaign  members  of  the  County  Board 
must  also  be  elected. 

The  Social-Democratic  party  has  a  candidate  for 
supervisor  in  every  district. 

It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  the  work  of  the  So- 
cial-Democrats in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of 
the  Milwaukee  government  should  be  considered.  In 
this,  as  everywhere  else,  the  Social-Democrats  have 
been  making  notewo-rthy  records  for  progress  and 
efficiency. 

The  County  Board  of  Supervisors 

First  of  all,  as  pointed  out  in  our  platform,  the 
control  of  the  county  and  city  administration  by  the 
Social-Democrats  has  brought  the  two  bojdies  into 
complete  co-operation.  The  two  bodies  work  together 
steadily  to  the  one  common  end— the  welfare  of  the 
people.  Such  a  situation  is  an  immense  advantage  to 
the  taxpayers  of  both  the  city  and  the  county. 

All  the  work  of  the  various  departments  is  under 
the  direction  of  the  County  Board,  of  course.  The 
work  the  departments  do  reflects  the  efficiency  that 
has  been  established  under  the  influence  of  the  Social- 
Democratic  control  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  But 
aside  from  the  accomplishments  of  the  various  depart- 
ments, to  which  reference  will  be  made  farther  on, 
there  are  several  achievements  of  the  County  Board 
that  should  be  given  special  mention. 

The  establishment  of  the  Milwaukee  County  School 
of  Agriculture  and  Domestic  Economy  is  in  itself  a 
striking  and  notable  achievement.  This  school  affords 
opportunity  to  at  least  500  students  for  the  study  of 
the  problems  of  economic  conditions  of  rural  and  sub- 
urban life. 

142 


Special  mention  should  be  made  of  the  work  of  the 
County  Board  with  reference  to  the  Milwaukee  House 
of  Correction. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  improvement  in  this 
direction  is  the  new  spirit  in  which  the  whole  problem 
of  the  delinquents  is  handled— the  modern  and  scien- 
tific treatment  of  the  prisoners. 

But  in  the  arrangement  and  administration  of  the 
House  of  Correction  notable  improvements  have  been 
made.     Among  them  the  following  may  be  mentioned : 

1.  A  new  receiving  room  for  the  prisoners. 

2.  A  new  laundry  room. 

3.  Various  additions  to  the  factory  building,  in- 
cluding a  bending  room  for  chair  material. 

4.  A  new  refrigerator,  which  enables  the  manage- 
ment to  purchase  meats  and  other  perishable  foods  in 
large  quantities. 

5.  A  storeroom  for  factory  supplies. 

6.  Large  and  convenient  toilet  facilities  outside 
and  adjacent  to  the  factory  building.  For  over  forty 
years  the  unsanitary  and  repulsive  bucket  system  had 
been  used  in  the  House  of  Correction. 

7.  Shower  baths  in  the  women's  department  to 
replace  the  old-fashioned  bathtub. 

8.  The  much  needed  and  improved  enlargement  in 
the  hospital  department. 

9.  Improvements  in  the  factorj^  A  number  of 
improvements  have  been  made  in  the  factory  where 
the  inmates  are  employed,  including  a  new  engine  in 
the  laundry,  additional  work  benches,  a  drill  press,  and 
sanding  machine. 

The  following  table  shows  the  increase  and  the  out- 
put of  the  factory. 

Chairs  sold  during  1909 117,855 

Chairs  sold  during  1910 121,804 

Chairs  made  during  1909 116,346 

Chairs  made  during  1910 120,489 

143 


The  County  Clerk 

The  county  clerk  has  turned  into  the  county  treas- 
ury fees  amounting  to  $2,172.57  which  were  formerly 
kept  by  the  clerk  and  his  appointees. 

Obsolete  methods  in  the  issuance  of  county  orders 
have  been  discarded  and  a  new  labor  and  time  saving 
system  installed. 

New  and  up-to-date  inventory  and  a  modern  system 
of  checking  stationery  have  made  careless  and  hap- 
hazard buying  an  impossibility. 

Not  one  single  piece  of  printing  has  been  done 
which  does  not  bear  the  union  label;  while  the  county 
clerk  has  been  partly  responsible  for  the  organization 
of  union  shops  for  bookbinders  and  lithographers. 

Courteous  and  prompt  attention  has  been  given  to 
the  public,  with  the  result  of  manifest  appreciation  on 
the  part  of  the  people. 

Register  of  Deeds 

The  change  of  the  ward  assessors  in  the  city  made 
it  necessary  to  change  the  former  system  of  tract  in- 
dices. Accordingly  the  County  Board  authorized  the 
register  of  deeds  to  make  the  necessary  change.  This 
work  has  been  completed  without  extra  help.  A  care- 
ful estimate  based  on  charges  made  for  such  work  by 
former  officials  indicates  that  this  would  have  cost  the 
county  between  $8,000  and  $10,000. 

While  the  number  of  men  employed  in  this  depart- 
ment of  the  county  government  is  the  same  as  in  1910, 
the  volume  of  work  has  considerably  increased.  For 
example,  the  number  of  papers  recorded  increased  from 
31,892  in  1910  to  33,317  in  1911.  The  total  receipts 
increased  from  $26,582.90  in  1910  to  $28,032.30  in  1911. 

The  custom  of  depositing  these  receipts  so  as  to 
draw  interest  and  then  turning  the  interest  fund  over 
to  the  county  treasurer  quarterly  has  saved  the  county 
$71.40.     This  is  the  first  time  this  has  ever  been  done. 

If  you  ivant  careful  attention  to  puMic  duty,  vote  the 
Social-Democratic  ticket. 

144 


The  Coroner 

The  following  table  will  give  some  idea  of  the  in- 
creased efficiency  and  activities  of  the  Coroner's  De- 
partment: 

Comparison  of  work  between  the  present  administra- 
tion and  former  administration,  from  January  1, 

1910,  to  January  1,  1911,  with  that  of  January  1, 

1911,  to  January  1,  1912. 


Present  Administration 

146  post-mortem  exami- 
nations by  coroner  and  his 
physicians. 

75  pathological  exami- 
nations by  coroner  and  his 
physicians. 

7  chemical  analyses  by 
coroner  and  his  physi- 
cians. 

4  toxicological  examina- 
tions by  coroner  and  his 
physicians. 

10  bacteriological  exam- 
inations by  coroner  and 
his  physicians. 

1  blood  examination  by 
the  coroner  and  his  physi- 
cians. 

3,057  patients  treated  at 
the  House  of  Correction 
by  coroner  and  his  physi- 
cians. 

173  patients  treated  at 
the  county  jail  by  coroner 
and  his  physicians. 


Former  Years 

None 
staff. 

by 

coroner 

and 

None 
staff. 

by 

coroner 

and 

None 
staff. 

by 

coroner 

and 

None 
staff. 

by 

coroner 

and 

None 
staff. 

by 

coroner 

and 

Done  at  Chicago  and 
paid  to  outside  physician 
by  Milwaukee  County. 

Paid  to  outside  physi- 
cians. 


Paid 
cians. 


to   outside   physi- 


I4S 


50  examinations  for  dis-        Paid   to   outside   physi- 
trict  attorney's  office,  rape      eians. 
and  bastardy  cases,  done 
by  coroner  and  his  physi- 
cians. 

25  visits  to  court  where  Paid   to   outside   physi- 

medical  expert  testimony      eians. 
was  given. 

Special  attention  has  been  given  by  the  Coroner's 
Department  to  industrial,  street  car  and  railroad  acci- 
dents. The  following  table  shows  in  a  most  striking 
manner  the  difference  between  the  old  method  of  han- 
dling these  matters  and  the  present  Social-Democratic 
manner.  The  work  is  done  thoroughly;  juries  are 
summoned  where  required,  whereas  before  not  a  single 
jury  was  summoned;  the  same  with  regard  to  the  dis- 
trict attorney,  and  particularly  with  regard  to  the 
negligence  cases.  Negligence  was  shown  under  the 
old  regime  in  not  a  single  case.  And  no  recommenda- 
tions were  made  except  in  two. 

1911 

Railroad  St.  Car  Industrial    Total 

Number  of  cases- 59  24  51  134 

Av.  number  witnesses 

per  inquest 5%  7  6 

Jury 5  9  18  32 

District  atty.  called..       5  9  13  27 

Av.  pages  testimony.  39  53  58%  1402 

Negligence  shown....  18  10  25  53 

Recommendations   ...  11  2  6  19 

1910— for  10  months 

Railroad  St.  Car  Industrial     Total 

Number  of  cases 41            25  39            105 

Av.  number  witnesses 

per  inquest 4%           6  4 

Jury None       None  None        None 

District  atty.  called...     None      None  None        None 

146 


.l/o 

261/3 

261/5 

71 

one 

None 

None 

None 

Dne 

None 

2 

2 

Av.  pages  testimon}^. 
Negligence  shown.... 
Recommendations   .  .  . 

A  saving  of  not  less  than  $5,500  a  year  was  effected 
in  the  coroner's  office  as  a  result  of  having  physicians 
there  rather  than  engaging  outside  physicians  as  here- 
tofore. 

A  purchasing  department  was  established,  which,  as 
is  always  the  case,  resulted  in  the  notable  saving  shown 
by  the  following  table : 

Purchasing  Supplies 

Prices  under  old  adminis-     Prices  under  new  admin- 
tration  istration 

Coal,  $8  per  ton.  Coal,  $7  per  ton. 

Hay,  $22  per  ton.  Hay,  $18.50  per  ton. 

Oats,  39  cents  per  bu.  Oats,  36  cents  per  bu. 

Liquid   soap,   $1.50  per  Liquid  soap,   $1.30   per 

gallon.  gallon. 

Window  cleaning,  $2.50  Window  cleaning,  $1.50 

per  cleaning.  per  cleaning. 

Ice    for    office   use,    50  Ice    for    office   use,    35 

cents  per  cwt.  cents  per  cwt. 

CLERK  OF  THE  CIRCUIT  COURT 

The  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  has  collected  and  paid 
over  tO'  the  county  treasurer  the  sum  of  $2,163.50  in 
fees  derived  from  the  issuing  of  naturalization  papers. 

This  is  more  than  doube  the  amount  ever  collected 
before  and  still  represents  only  one-half  of  the  total 
amount  collected.  The  other  half  goes  to  the  Federal 
Government. 

A  new  and  up-to-date  system  of  bookkeeping  has 
replaced  the  antiquated  and  cumbersome  system  that 
formerly  prevailed.  The  accounts  then  were  posted 
from  the  day  cash  book  into  four  different  account 
books.     All  entries  are  now  made  in  a  cash  book  and 

147 


ledger   only,   so   arranged    as   to   give    automatic   day 
balances. 

Wh^re  formerly  certificate  blanks  were  kept  in 
loose  form,  they  are  now  bound  in  book  form,  leaving 
stubs  when  issued.  This  affords  a  complete  check  on 
all  certificates  issued  and  on  the  moneys  collected  in 
fees. 

In  this,  as  in  every  department,  all  fees  are  now 
paid  over  to  the  county  treasurer.  And  besides,  care- 
ful accounting  is  kept  of  all  money  deposited  in  the 
banks,  and  the  interest  on  such  deposits  is  also  turned 
into  the  county  treasury. 

In  short,  the  policy  of  the  county  administration  is 
to  retain  nothing  in  the  way  of  fees  or  emoluments  of 
any  kind. 

THE  COUNTY  SHERIFF 

The  Social-Democratic  administration  in  the  Sher- 
iff's office  made  an  excellent  showing  in  the  collection 
of  delinquent  personal  taxes  during  the  year  just  past. 
The  total  amount»of  money  thus  collected  and  paid  into 
the  county  treasury  amounted  to  $6,353.33,  which  ex- 
ceeds the  largest  amount  collected  and  turned  over  by 
any  of  the  last  three  preceding  administrations  by 
$936.37— nearly  $1,000. 

The  work  entailed  in  making  this  collection  will  be 
better  understood  and  appreciated  by  the  fact  that  the 
number  of  delinquents  on  the  tax  roll  aggregated  about 
3,300,  scattered  all  over  the  county,  and  that  the  great 
majority  of  the  collections  are  made  in  small  amounts, 
ranging  from  44  cents  to  88  cents  and  $1.32  to  $1.76. 
The  work  of  tax  collection  is  done  by  the  deputy 
sheriffs;  each  man  is  assigned  to  a  certain  district  and 
the  collecting  is  done  at  times  when  they  are  not  other- 
wise engaged  in  court  work,  special  assignments,  or 
the  serving  of  papers. 

Other  improvements  have  been  introduced  under 
the  management  of  the  present  sheriff.     Among  them 

148 


may  be  mentioned  the  new  arrangement  of  hours  and 
service  by  which  each  deputy  gets  one  day  off  in  eight- 
een. Another  improvement  is  in  the  handling  of  the 
feeding  of  prisoners. 

The  county  exercises  careful  economy  in  the  handling 
of  the  people's  money — Vote  the  straight  Social-Democratic 
ticket. 

THE  DISTRICT  ATTORNEY'S  OFFICE 

The  Social-Democratic  conception  of  the  legal  de- 
partments is  also  different  from  that  prevailing  among 
the  old  party  officials. 

The. Social-Democrats  would  make  the  legal  depart- 
ments the  friends  and  helpers  of  the  people. 

This  is  well  illustrated  by  the  work  of  the  district 
attorney's  office.  Not  a  day  passes  but  some  one  bur- 
dened with  trouble  wends  his  way  to  the  county  "trou- 
ble office"  to  lay  before  the  district  attorney  his. 
grievance. 

From  the  seamstress  who  cannot  collect  her  wages*, 
for  sewing  the  dress  to  be  worn  by  "my  lady"  at  the^ 
next  charity  ball,  to  the  man  who  cannot  get  along - 
with  his  neighbor,  or  who  loses  his  limb  in  the  fields, 
of  industry,  advice  is  given  and  such  aid  rendered  a& 
is  possible  for  the  district  attorney  to  render. 

The  district  attorney  is  the  county's  lawyer,  the 
legal  adviser  of  all  its  officers.  But  he  is  more  than 
that  under  the  Social-Democratic  conception.  He  is 
the  helper  of  the  people. 

The  present  district  attorney's  office  has  handled  a 
large  increase  in  the  number  of  cases  tried  and  done  it 
without  an  increase  of  force.    . 

The  famous  union  labor  case,  which  was  begun  by 
the  district  attorney's  office  in  July,  1907,  had  been 
continued  forty-seven  different  times. 

It  dragged  along  through  the  court  for  three  and  a 
half  years,  during  two  administrations. 

The  present  force  brought  the  case  on  for  trialJuly 
7,  1911,  and  the  three  defendants  were  convicted  and 
fined. 

149 


Tlie  case  was  appealed  to  the  supreme  court,  fought 
to  a  successful  issue  and  fully  disposed  of  within  seven 
months. 

Thus  efficiency,  economy  and  consideration  for  the 
welfare  of  the  people  are  combined  in  the  work  of  the 
district  attorney's  force. 

County  Treasurer 

The  county  treasurer's  office  has  been  a  busy  one 
during  the  present  administration.  It  handled ,  more 
than  one-third  of  the  total  amount  of  inheritance  tax 
collected  in  the  whole  state  of  Wisconsin.  It  handled 
19,000'  more  delinquent  tax  matters  than  was  ever 
handled  before.  And  yet  the  force  found  time  to 
introduce  a  number  of  improvements,  such  as  the  new 
system  of  duplicate  tax  bills. 

Honesty  and  efficiency  have  characterized  the  work 
in  this  department  as  in  all  the  others. 

They  Love  Darkness  Rather  than  Light 


How  Our  Critics  Appear  to  Us 

150 


OBSTACLES  AND  OBSTRUCTIVE  TACTICS  USED 

AGAINST  THE  SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC 

ADMINISTRATION 

In  judging  of  the  work  of  the  Social-Democratic 
administration  in  Milwaukee  one  should  bear  in  mind 
the  tremendous  difficulties  that  it  has  had  to  encounter. 

At  least  three  lines  of  legal  entrenchments  have  had 
to  be  overcome  on  almost  every  proposition  that  the 
administration  has  undertaken. 

The  opposition  entrenches  itself,  first,  behind  char- 
ter difficulties;  then  behind  state  laws,  or,  if  the  laws 
do  not  assist  it,  rushes  to  the  state  legislature  at  Madi- 
son and  hurries  them  through  and  finally  resorts  to 
unconstitutional  proceedings  and  other  technical  delays 
through  the  courts. 

Charter  Difficulties 

Milwaukee  is  still  governed  by  a  charter  passed  by 
the  state  legislature  in  1874.  This  charter  has  been 
amended,  to  be  sure,  from  time  to  time.  Accordingly, 
the  administration  found  itself  hindered  or  delayed  in 
many  directions  in  trying  to  carry  out  its  program. 

For  example,  the  effort  to  introduce  the  principle 
of  direct  employment  in  street  work  under  the  charter 
required  a  three-fourths  vote  of  all  the  members  of  the 
Common  Council.  The  Socialists  did  not  have  this  re- 
quired majority,  and  were,  therefore,  unable  to  carry 
out  the  plan  for  the  present. 

Again,  the  administration  proposed  to  buy  certain 
tracts  of  land,  use  portions  of  it  for  park  purposes 
and  the  balance  to  be  platted  and  sold  or  rented  to  the 
workmen  for  homes.  The  purpose  was  to  secure  this 
revenue  producing  property  as  a  means  of  increasing 
the  resources  of  the  city,  as  well  as  relieving  the  con- 
gestion of  population.  But  the  charter  does  not  per- 
mit it. 

So,  too,  with  the  plan  to  establish  a  department  of 

iSi 


public  recreation  to  have  charge  of  the  playgrounds, 
social  centers  and  other  means  of  public  amusements. 
Thus  many  of  the  plans  that  would  bring  relief  to 
the  people  are  hindered  and  delayed  by  reason  of  the 
charter  limitations.  That  is  one  line  of  obstacles  to 
which  the  opposition  always  resorts  in  holding  back  the 
work  of  the  administration. 

Restrictive  State  Laws 

A  second  line  of  difficulties  is  presented  by  the  state 
laws.  Such  trivial  matters,  for  example,  as  the  wish  to 
consolidate  the  office  of  city  treasurer  and  water  regis- 
trar are  not  permissible  under  the  state '  laws.  It  is 
hard  to  understand  why  a  city  should  not  be  permitted 
to  do  so  simple  and  obvious  a  thing  as  this.  The  func- 
tions are  similar  and  the  change  would  mean  a  saving 
of  from  four  to  five  thousand  dollars  per  year  to  the 
city.  But  the  state  laws  do  not  permit  it  and  that 
ends  it. 

Again,  the  present  administration  has  made  a  de- 
termined effort  to  make  the  rich  and  the  corporations 
pay  their  just  share  of  taxes.  For  this  purpose  tax 
experts  were  engaged,  who  in  a  few  days  found  eight 
millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  which  had  es- 
caped taxation.  The  tax  sharks,  however,  flew  to  the 
courts  and  secured  an  injunction  before  the  property 
could  be  placed  on  the  tax  rolls  of  the  city.  An  attempt 
was  made  to  secure  the  passage  of  an  act  in  the  legisla- 
ture that  would  make  it  possible  for  the  city  to  engage 
these  experts  further,  but,  of  course,  the  measure  was 
defeated. 

Efforts  to  secure  legislation  to  permit  the  city  to 
embark  in  various  lines  of  municipal  ownership  were 
also  defeated  in  the  state  legislature.  Thus  the  oppo- 
sition holds  the  city  back  by  shackles  forged  in  the 
state  legislature. 

The  Courts 

But,  most  of  all,  perhaps  the  courts  are  resorted  to 
by  the  capitalistic  interests  in  obstructing  the  work  of 

152 


the  administration.  The  list  of  cases  brought  against 
the  administration  is  almost  astonishing.  Almost  from 
the  very  first  hour  the  Social-Democratic  officials  have 
been  hampered,  harrassed  and  hindered  by  court  pro- 
ceedings. Every  conceivable  technicality  has  been  tak- 
en advantage  of  to  bring  a  suit  or  an  injunction  against 
some  Socialist  official. 

Among  the  most  notable  of  these  cases  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

1.  The  famous  Mullen  case,  in  which  suit  was 
brought  against  the  administration  to  prevent  it  from 
reorganizing  the  Board  of  Public  Works.  Judge  Esch- 
weiler's  decision  in  this  matter,  if  it  had  been  main- 
tained, would  have  completely  disorganized  the  Public 
Works  Department  of  the  city. 

2.  The  tax  ferret  case,  in  which  the  administration^ 
was  enjoined  from  engaging  tax  experts. 

3.  Mandamus  proceedings  brought  against  the  So- 
cial-Democratic tax  commissioner  to  prevent  the  dis- 
missal of  certain  tax  assessors.  This  was  a  part  of  the 
effort  to  maintain  the  old  policy  of  crooked  assess- 
ments. 

4.  Quo  warranto  proceedings  to  annul  the  redis- 
tricting  of  the  city  wards,  brought  by  Tom  Neacy. 
Case  pending. 

5.  Proceedings  brought  in  court  to  prevent  the  ex- 
tension of  time  for  the  payment  of  taxes. 

6.  A  threat  to  institute  injunction  proceedings 
against  the  County  Board  to  prevent  that  body  from 
furnishing  money  for  penny  lunches  in  the  public 
schools. 

7.  Perhaps  as  desperate  a  measure  as  was  ever  re- 
sorted to  by  politicians  in  Milwaukee  was  that  by  which 
Rucker  was  driven  out  of  town. 

8.  The  Carney  charges  against  certain  members  of 
the  administration  with  reference  to  the  proposed  park 
land  purchase  was  another  form  of  court  proceedings 
illustrating  the  desperate  straits  to  which  the  opposi- 

153 


tion  is  driven  in  trying  to  get  something  that  will  em- 
barrass the  administration.  The  charges,  of  course, 
did  not  last  in  court  for  much  more  than  ten  minutes. 
But  they  serve  the  purpose  of  obstructive  legal  tactics. 

9.  The  Braun  resolution  calling  upon  the  city 
attorney  to  begin  suit  against  various  officials  to  re- 
cover salaries  alleged  to  be  illegally  paid,  was  another 
case  of  court  procedure  proposed  to  embarrass  the 
administration. 

In  fact,  it  seems  to  have  been  the  determination  of 
the  opposition  to  block  every  possible  method  that  the 
administration  made  if  there  was  any  chance  on  the 
slightest  technicality  on  any  point. 

Obstructive  Tactics  of  the  Minority 

And  finally  the  few  Republicans  and  Democrats 
that  are  left  in  the  city  council  constitute  a  minority 
that  has  under  the  charter  considerable  power  of  ob- 
struction. There  are  a  number  of  measures  that  re- 
quire a  three-fourths  vote  and  several  that  require  a 
two-thirds  vote  to  pass.^  And  seven  members  can  lay 
a  matter  over  for  two  weeks. 

The  obstructive  tactics  resorted  to  by  this  minority 
have  been  too  numerous  to  mention.  Among  them  may 
be  mentioned  the  following: 

Delayed  the  redistricting  of  the  city. 

Voted  against  and  finally  killed  wage  and  salary 
revision. 

Agitated  against  street  car  terminal  project. 

Opposed  raising  the  rate  of  interest  on  bonds,  which, 
if  it  had  succeeded,  would  have  made  the  bonds  of  the 
city  unsalable. 

Fought  for  years  against  the  use  of  union  label. 

Fought  and  voted  against  resolution  expressing  sympa- 
thy for  Allied  Printing  Trades  Council  in  its  fight  with 
the  newspapers  for  the  label. 

Fought  against  the  consolidation  of  the  fire  and 
police  alarm  systems. 

154- 


Opposed  and  fought  against  nearly  every  appoint- 
ment that  the  Social-Democrats  have  made. 

Blocked  the  plan  for  direct  employment  by  the  city. 

Voted  against  the  bills  presented  to  the  state  legis- 
lature to  give  the  city  the  right  to  embark  in  various 
projects  for  municipal  ownership^  thereby  hindering  the 
administration  in  its  municipal  ownership  measures. 

Delayed  the  isolation  hospital  bonds. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  obstructive  tactics  of  the 
minority. 

Other  Obstructionists 

And  finally,  as  though  the  above  were  not  a  suffi- 
cient line  of  obstructive  tactics,  the  heads  of  various 
departments  and  boards  have  also  taken  a  hand  in 
helping  the  opponents  of  the  present  administration  in 
trying  to  block  the  way. 

For  example,  the  chief  of  the  Fire  Department  and 
the  chief  of  the  Police  Department  fought  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  police  and  fire  alarm  systems  bitterly 
and  steadily  at  every  possible  point  for  eighteen 
months. 

The  chief  of  police  also  fought  the  granting  of  extra 
"offs"  for  the  policemen. 

The  Public  School  Board  refused  to  co-operate  with 
the  administration  in  the  budget  exhibit,  being  the  only 
body  in  the  city  government  that  did  not  make  a  dis- 
play. So  that  the  board  that  receives  the  most  of  the 
people's  money  failed  to  co-operate  in  this  effort  to 
show  how  the  taxpayers'  money  is  spent. 

The  chief  of  police  positively  refused  to  use  the  new 
police  ambulance  bought  for  him  by  the  Purchasing 
Department. 

The  tax  commissioner  not  only  refused  to  help  the 
administration  carry  out  its  policy  of  making  the  rich 
and  the  big  corporations  pay  their  just  share  of  taxes, 
but  steadily  refused  to  co-operate  in  this  direction.  In 
some  cases  he  even  refused  to  obey  the  law  when  it  was 
clearly  pointed  out  to  him.  It  was  the  old  policy  of 
grind  the  poor  and  favor  the  rich.     Furthermore,  the 

155 


assessors  whom  the  Social-Democratic  tax  commis- 
sioner removed  have  appealed  to  the  courts  and  are 
fighting  for  their  jobs.  They  propose  to  keep  up  the 
old  methods  if  possible. 

Such  have  been  the  obstructive  tactics  of  the  oppo- 
sition. 

Without  any  constructive  program  of  their  own; 
unable  to  offer  any  program  whatever  for  the  improve- 
ment of  our  municipal  government;  and  utterly  with- 
out any  plans  for  the  bettering  of  the  condition  of  the 
people,  the  opposition  has  confined  itself  to. obstructive 
tactics. 

They  have  nothing  to  offer  themselves.  They  have 
tried  to  block  those  who  have. 


Our  Critics 


/^[^mh(Lpj^^M 


"Aha!   Aha!   I  see  a  fly  speck  on  the  city  hall.     What 
are  you  Socialists  going  to  say  about  that?     Aha!" 


156 


A  Few  Criticisms  of  tfce  Social-Democratic 
Administration  Briefly  Answered 


1.  It  is  charged  that  the  Social-Democratic  administra- 
tion has  greatly  increased  taxes. 

ANSWER.  Untrue.  The  tax  rate  is  nearly  4  cents  on 
the  thousand  dollars  less  this  year  than  last.  If  some  pay 
more  taxes  than  they  paid  last  year,  it  is  because  others 
have  been  let  off  with  less.  And  this  is  due  to  the  manipu- 
lation of  the  assessments  by  the  Rose  Democratic  tax  com- 
missioner, Frank  B.  Schutz.  And,  besides,  if  the  taxdodgers 
paid  their  taxes,  rates  would  be  much  lower.  Furthermore, 
revenue  producing  enterprises  would  reduce,  and,  if  desired, 
finally  extinguish  tax  rates.  So  that  the  financial  program 
of  the  Socialists  will  save  the  city  enormous  sums  of 
money. 

2.  It  is  charged  that  the  Socialists  have  ruined  the 
credit  of  the  city. 

ANSWER.  The  bonds  of  the  city  have  never  had  so 
many  bidders  and  sold  so  well  as  at  present.  Contrast  this 
with  the  condition  before  the  Socialists  came  in.  Mayor 
Rose,  in  his  message  of  April  25,  1908,  page  11,  declared: 
"Through  short  sighted  policy  of  the  retiring  comptroller, 
our  municipal  bonds  have  become  unsalable.  At  the  last 
offering  not  one  bid  was  received — deplorable  condition — 
must  return  to  conservative  business  metnods."  That's 
what  the  Democrat  Rose  says  of  the  Republican  adminis- 
tration, and  everybody  knows  that  the  Rose  policy  was  cer- 
tainly no  better.  So,  then,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Social- 
ists have  actually  redeemed  the  credit  of  the  city. 

3.  It  is  charged  that  the  Socialist  administration  of 
Milwaukee  is  driving  capital  from  the  city  and  creating  an 
industrial  depression. 

ANSWER.  Commercial  reports,  trade  reviews,  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  reports,  building  inspector  reports  and  re- 
views in  the  local  press  show  that  more  capital  was  invest- 
ed and  more  enterprises  started  in  Milwaukee  during  1910 

157 


than  during  any  previous  year;  and  that  the  first  ten  months 
of  1911  showed  fifteen  million  dollars  more  new  invest- 
ments and  improvements  than  the  whole  of  1910.  In  other 
words,  the  two  years  under  a  Social-Democratic  administra- 
tion have  been  the  best  two  years  in  the  history  of  the  city. 
The  following,  taken  from  the  Milwaukee  Journal  of  Octo- 
ber 6,  1911,  is  a  sample  of  what  might  be  reproduced  from 
other  papers  and  other  dates: 

New  Capital  Invested  in  Milwaukee  in  1911 

January  1  to  April  7 $14,216,000 

April   7  to  May   24 8,572,500 

May  24  to  July  14 2,786,000 

July  14  to  August  22 6,153,000 

August  22  to  October  5 1,610,050 

Total $33,347,550 

Last  preceding  record,  twelve  months $18,000,000 

New  capital  continues  to  pour  into  Milwaukee's  indus- 
tries, as  shown  by  the  substantial  gain  in  the  capital  in- 
vested in  the  city's  manufactories  and  business  ventures 
since  August  22. 

The  rate  of  increase  in  the  amount  of  treasure  invested 
in  business  in  Milwaukee  continues  as  remarkable  as  ever. 
Since  August  22  $1,610,050  has  been  added  to  the  invested 
capita;l  of  the  city's  business  field,  most  of  it  new  capital 
for  new  propositions: 

It  is  charged  that  Dr.  Kraft,  the  Social-Democratic 
health  commissioner,  is  a  fake — that  he  has  no  diploma. 

ANSWER.  He  has  three.  Dr.  Kraft  has  a  diploma 
from  the  American  College  of  Medicine  of  St.  Louis;  an- 
other from  the  Barnes  Medical  College  of  the  same  city, 
and  a  registered  state  certificate  from  the  State  Board  of 
Health  of  Wisconsin  and  other  states. 

It  is  charged  that  there  was  a  scarlet  fever  epidemic  in 
the  city,  due  to  the  incompetency  of  the  Social-Democratic 
officials. 

ANSWER.  Simply  untrue.  There  were  349  less  cases 
under  Kraft  than  under  Bading.  In  neither  case  an  epi- 
demic. 

It  is  charged  that  there  was  an  epidemic  of  smallpox 
in  the  city,  due  to  the  incompetency  of  the  Social-Democrats. 

158 


ANSWER.  Denied.  Only  one  case  in  Milwaukee  in 
January,  1911,  and  that  a  non-resident;  in  February  two, 
in  March  none;  and  none  in  April  until  toward  the  close  of 
the  month,  when  two  were  imported,  one  from  Michigan 
and  the  other  from  St.  Paul. 

It  is  charged  that  the  Socialists  ignored  sewerage  prob- 
lem— that  the  mayor  withheld  Sewerage  Commission's  re- 
port. 

ANSWER.  Untrue.  Telegrams  and  letters  from  the 
mayor  urging  haste  brought  the  report  to  the  city  about 
May  4,  1911,  and  was  sent  immediately  to  the  council  at  its 
next  meeting.  The  report  has  since  been  given  due  con- 
sideration and  plans  are  developing  for  following  out  its 
suggestions. 

Socialists  said  they  would  keep  good  men  that  were  in 
office.  But  they  have  put  out  the  good  men  to  make 
places  for  their  "comrades." 

ANSWER.  Denied.  The  good  men  have  been  kept. 
In  the  Treasurer's  Department  they  kept  Drew,  the  deputy; 
McLaughlin,  first  assistant;  and  Kuechle,  bookkeeper.  In 
the  City  Clerk's  Department  they  kept  Herman  Schultz, 
first  assistant;  Emil  Allee;  and  Charles  Boyd,  committee 
clerk,  until  the  time  of  his  resignation.  In  the  Board  of 
Public  Works,  kept  John  McGucken  and  promoted  him  to 
deputy.  In  Comptroller's  Department,  kept  Louis  Lieb- 
scher  and  Mr.  Hauserman.  In  the  City  Attorney's  Depart- 
ment, Miss  Mathe  and  Mr.  Hynskill  were  kept  and  two 
others  were  offered  the  opportunity  to  stay,  but  the  offer 
was  declined.  The  other  employes  in  the  department  who 
were  brought  in  are  not  Socialists.  In  Health  Depart- 
ment, out  of  a  total  of  fifty-nine  men,  all  but  eight  have 
been  kept.  Of  these  eight,  three  medical  assistants  were 
asked  to  resign,  as  they  were  unwilling  to  give  their  entire 
time  to  the  city's  work.  Three  sanitary  inspectors,  one 
milk  inspector  and  one  clerk  were  discharged  on  account 
of  intoxication,  neglect  of  duty  and  insubordination. 

It  is  charged  that  the  Social-Democrats  have  increased 
the  pay  roll  in  the  Public  Works  Department  by   $35,000. 

ANSWER.  This  charge  can  only  be  the  wildest  kind  of 
a  guess.  If  made,  against  the  administrative  part  of  the 
department,  it  is  a  wild  exaggeration.  If  made  against  the 
total  pay  roll  of  the  city's  employes  working  under  the  De- 
partment of  Public  Works,  it  is  misleading. 

The   administration   raised    the   wages    of    the   common 
159 


laborers  throughout  the  city  from  $1.75  to  $2  per  day. 
This  did  increase  the  pay  roll,  of  course.  It  was  intended 
that  it  should.  The  administration  pleads  guilty.  Fur- 
thermore, the  administration  has  raised  the  wages  of  all 
mechanics  and  skilled  workmen  to  the  trade  union  stand- 
ard. This  again  has  increased  the  pay  roll.  It  was  in- 
tended that  it  should.  And  the  increase  is  even  more  than 
$35,000,  at  that.  So  far  the  department  certainly  has  in- 
creased the  pay  rolls.  It  has  improved  conditions  of  labor, 
tt  only  regrets  that  it  was  unable  to  do  more  in  this  di- 
rection. 

On  the  other  hand,  however,  the  charge  of  extravagance 
is  absolutely  denied.  The  increase  in  the  expenditures  in 
the  Public  Works  Department  is  due:  (1)  To  the  fact  that 
certain  employes  that  had  been  on  the  pay  roll  in  other 
departments  were,  in  the  reorganization,  brought  onto  the 
pay  roll  under  the  Public  Works  Department.  This  accounts 
for  $2,000  increase  in  one  case,  but  resulted  immediately 
in  the  saving  of  $7,000  to  the  city  the  first  year;  (2)  cer- 
tain branches  of  the  work  of  the  city  were  also  brought 
over  to  the  Public  Works  Department,  as,  for  example,  the 
collection  of  garbage  and  the  incinerator  plant,  which  were 
transferred  from  the  Health  Department  tq  the  Public 
Works  Department;  (3)  and,  finally,  the  pay  roll  in  the 
department  has  been  increased  by  the  introduction  of  the 
principle  of  direct  employment.  In  this  way  the  city's  pay 
roll  has  increased,  but  the  city  has  saved  the  contractors' 
profits.  Thus  every  move  in  this  direction  has  meant  actual 
economy  to  the  city  instead  of  extravagance,  as  charged. 

It  is  charged  that  the  present  administration  is  more  ex- 
pensive than  that  of  any  previous  year. 

ANSWER.  To  a  certain  extent  that  is  true.  The  So- 
cial-Democrats have  raised  wages,  shortened  hours,  im- 
proved conditions  of  labor,  paved  more  streets,  appropriat- 
ed more  money  for  schools,  been  called  up  to  provide  more 
for  police  and  fire  protection,  have  extended  the  work  of 
the  Health  Department,  built  new  hospitals,  assisted  the 
child  welfare  work,  the  anti-tuberculosis  commission — in 
short,  have  vastly  increased  the  service  of  the  city  in  the 
interests  of  the  common  welfare. 

It  would  be  absurd  to  suppose  that  all  this  could  be 
done  without  to  a  certain  extent  increasing  the  expense  of 
the  administration.  The  city  is  growing.  Its  expenses 
increase.  And  every  succeeding  administration  must  be 
somewhat  more  expensive  than  the  previous  one,  even  if  all 
are  conducted  on  the  same  basis  of  efficiency. 

i6o 


Relatively  speaking,  however,  the  present  administra- 
tion is  actually  more  economic  and  cheaper  than  any  previ- 
ous one.  For  the  money  it  has  spent  it  has  done  more  for 
the  people  in  the  two  years  that  it  has  been  in  power  than 
previous  administrations  have  done  in  twenty  years. 

It  is  charged  that  the  Social-Democrats  had  to  borrow 
$1,130,000  from  the  bank  in  order  to  make  up  for  their 
terrible  extravagances. 

ANSWER.  Another  illustration  of  the  desperate  meth- 
ods resorted  to  by  the  critics.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  city 
borrowed  less  money  this  year  than  ever  before.  The  city 
borrowed  $750,000,  and  not  $1,130,000. 

And,  besides,  this  is  a  custom  that  has  been  forced 
upon  the  city  by  reason  of  a  state  law  which  provides  that 
the  taxes  are  not  collected  in  advance,  so  that  the  money 
is  spent  before  it  is  collected.  Every  year,  therefore,  the 
city  is  compelled  to  borrow  money.  Trust  funds  have  been 
used  when  available,  but  that  was  never  sufficient  to  cover 
the  entire  needs  of  the  city,  and  the  custom  of  borrowing 
money  at  a  certain  period  in  the  year  has  been  followed 
from  time  immemorial.  No  one  ever  thought  of  criticising 
the  administration  for  doing  this  until  now.  The  custom 
is  not  a  desirable  one,  but  cannot  be  avoidea  under  the 
circumstances.      In  time  we  shall  correct  this  evil  also. 

lo  is  charged  that  the  Social-Democrats  repudiated  the 
referendum. 

ANSWER.  The  administration  has  not  repudiated  the 
referendum.  But  it  does  not  propose  to  let  the  enemies  of 
the  referendum  discredit  it  by  forcing  every  trivial  matter 
to  the  vote  of  the  people.  And  especially  it  does  not  pro- 
pose to  permit  any  little  group  or  clique  of  twenty-five  or 
fifty  individuals  to  involve  the  whole  city  in  a  general  elec- 
tion, as  was  proposed  by  a  few  individuals  recently. 

The  administration  has  stood  for  the  principle  of  the 
referendum  from  the  beginning,  and  will  continue  to  stand 
for  it  to  the  end.  But  it  stands  for  the  referendum  under 
conditions  that  will  guarantee  its  reasonable  and  rational 
operation.  Not  less  than  5  per  cent  of  the  total  voting 
population  is  required  by  all  direct  legislation  laws  to 
initiate  a  referendum. 

TERRIBLE  TIMES  IN  MILWAUKEE 

[The  following  appeared  in  the  Wichita  (Kan.) 
Beacon  just  before  the  last  election  there,  in  which  the 
Socialists  came  near  to   carrying  the  city.     This  and 

i6i 


the  following  are  reprinted  just  to  show  how  ridiculous 
the  enemies  of  Socialism  can  make  themselves  appear 
in  their  desperation  to  do  something  and  say  something 
against  the  cause.] 

FROM  MILWAUKEE 

The  Beacon  prints  herewith  a  letter  from  Milwaukee, 
which  tells  its  own  story.  Socialism,  which  started  out 
with  the  brightest  possible  prospects  in  Milwaukee  less 
than  a  year  ago,  has  filled  the  town  with  destitution.  Two 
Milwaukee  papers  declare  that  there  are  more  empty  busi- 
ness houses  in  the  city  than  ever  before,  and  Victor  Berger, 
the  Socialist  congressman,  says  there  are  13,000  laborers 
out  of  work.  Here  comes  the  testimony  of  a  resident  of 
that  city,  in  a  private  letter  to  a  relative  in  Wichita.  It 
is  not  written  for  political  effect.  The  writer  did  not  know 
that  Wichita  had  the  problem  of  Socialism  before  it.  The 
letter  was  written  the  day  before  our  primaries. 

The  letter  is  signed  by  Mrs.  Anna  Hoft.  She  is  the 
wife  of  the  manager  of  a  wholesale  tea  and  coffee  house 
in  Milwaukee.     The  letter  follows: 

Milwaukee,  Wis.,  March  26,   1911. 

Mollie,  I  sent  you  two  socialistic  papers  and  two  anti- 
socialistic  papers  which  they  call  cardinal.  I  hope  you  will 
never  have  a  socialistic  mayor,  for  it  is  one  of  the  worst 
things  we  have  ever  had.  Since  we  had  this  mayor  there 
are  20,000  men  out  of  work,  and  such  a  lot  of  houses  are 
vacant.  The  flat  just  above  us  has  been  vacant  seven 
months.  My  washerwoman's  husband  has  been  out  of  work 
a  month.  He  worked  in  a  coalyard  and  now  there  is  no 
coal  in  the  yards. 

I  am  sending  you  a  picture  of  a  bomb  shooting  which 
caused  the  loss  of  a  $125,000  bridge.  A  store  has  also 
been  blown  up  by  the  black  hand;  have  had  twenty-three 
fires  in  one  day  and  seventeen  the  next.  In  some  places 
horses'  tongues  have  been  cut  out  and  their  ears  have 
been  cut  off  and  the  police  cannot  find  out  who  does  it. 

Arthur  Manger's  barn  was  burned  with  41  horses  in  it, 
but  we  cannot  find  out  who  did  it.  The  police  are  afraid 
to  do  anything  because  the  Socialists  do  not  believe  in  law. 
They  are  teaching  revolution,  and  they  claim  that  they  do 
not  interfere  with  religion,  but  read  their  papers  and  see 
what  terrible  things  they  say. 

Mollie,  I  cannot  tell  you  one-half  how  terrible  times  are 
here  in  Milwaukee.  We  are  bothered  with  tramps  every 
day.  I  know  one  lady  who  lives  closer  to  the  heart  of  the 
city   than  we  do   who   was   visited   by   fifteen   tramps   in   a 

162 


single  day.  Since  the  socialists  have  been  in  power  they 
have  discharged  everyone  they  could  unless  they  were  social 
democrats.  It  is  politics  all  the  way  through.  They  do 
not  seem  to  care  whether  a  man  is  fit  for  a  position  so  he 
is  a  socialist.  They  are  trying  their  hardest  to  get  their 
kind  on  the  school  board.  They  have  three  there  now  and 
need  only  five  more  to  have  full  control.  Their  idea  is  for 
the  taxpayers  to  pay  for  all  the  children's  school  books  and 
they  have  no  sympathy  for  the  taxpayers  at  all. 

I  hope  to  hear  from  you  soon,  and  want  you  to  tell  me 
what  you  think  of  our  socialist  bunch.     Your  cousin, 

ANNA  HOFT. 

A   MAYOR  IN    SHIRTSLEEVES.      HOW   SHOCKING! 

[From  the  Denver  Republican — April  6,  1911.] 
Chief  Terry  Owens  of  the  fire  department  returned  yes- 
terday from  Milwaukee,  where  he  attended  a  meeting  of 
the  executive  board  of  the  American  Fire  Chiefs' 
Association.  He  said  the  most  interesting  sight  he  saw  in 
the  city  made  famous  by  beer  and  Socialists  was  the  So- 
cialist mayor,  Emil  Seidel. 

"Say,  you  ought  to  have  seen  him,"  said  he,  addressing 
Mayor  Speer  and  an  interested  audience  in  the  mayor's 
office  yesterday  afternoon.  "His  hair  sticks  out  all  over 
his  head  and  he  looks  like  a  regular  anarchist.  The  Mil- 
waukee fire  chief  asked  us  if  we  wanted  to  see  the  mayor. 
We  said,  'Sure.'  He  took  us  to  the  mayor's  office  and 
pretty  soon  a  fellow  appeared  with  his  hair  sticking  out 
like  a  porcupine's  quills.  Honestly,  he  looked  like  a  com- 
bination porcupine  and  anarchist.  He  was  in  his  shirt- 
sleeves and  wore  black  gauntlets  over  his  cuffs." 

WHAT   "ANDY"   SAID 
About  Us  Once  Upon  a  Time. 


Andrew  Gallagher,  secretary  of  the  Central  Labor  body 
of  San  Francisco,  member  of  the  grand  jury  and  one  of  the 
most  powerful  men  in  the  Labor  party,  which  is  in  control 
in  this  city,  was  a  visitor  in  Milwaukee  recently. 

"Your  city  is  famous  all  over  the  country,"  said  Mr. 
Gallagher,  "on  trains  and  everywhere  else,  from  all  classes 
of  people  one  hears  praise  of  Milwaukee's  administration, 
and  that  is  the  reason  I  stopped  off  here  on  my  way  home 
from  the  A.  F.  of  L.  convention  at  St.  Louis. 

"Our  papers  in  San  Francisco  are  eager  to  print  all  the 
news  they  can  get  from  Milwaukee.  All  over  your  Mayor 
Seidel  is  praised  for  his  broad-minded,  common  horse-sense 
administration,  and  all  agree  that  the  Socialists  are  mak- 
ing good." 

163 


LABOR  MEASURES 

What  the  Social-Democratic  Administration  Has  Done 

for  Organized  Labor  and  the  Working  Class 

1.  Raised  the  wages  of  all  the  city  laborers  from 
$1.75  per  day  to  $2  per  day,  and  thus  fixed  the  mini- 
mum scale. 

2.  Established  the  trade  union  scale  of  wages  for 
all  skilled  employes  of  the  city. 

3.  Established  the  eight-hour  workday  by  ordi- 
nance for  all  public  employes,  whether  working  for  the 
city  or  by  contractors  employed  by  the  city. 

4.  Union  labor  employed  exclusively  in  all  depart- 
ments wherever  mechanics  are  employed. 

5.  Raised  the  wages  of  132  employes  on  the  Six- 
teenth Street  viaduct  to  the  union  scale. 

6.  Helped  to  settle  the  garment  workers'  strike. 

7.  Secured  the  union  label  on  every  piece  of  public 
printing. 

8.  Passed  an  engineers'  license  ordinance,  for 
which  the  engineers'  union  had  been  fighting  for  twen- 
ty years.  This  ordinance  forces  every  engineer  to  pass 
an  examination,  thereby  elevating  the  conditions  of  the 
engineer  and  protecting  the  lives  of  thousands  of  work- 
ing men  and  women  against  careless  and  incompetent 
workmen. 

9.  Passed  an  ordinance  licensing  every  elevator 
operator  in  the  city.  This  ordinance  forces  every  oper- 
ator to  pass  an  examination,  thereby  elevating  the  con- 
ditions of  the  operator  and  protecting  the  lives  of 
thousands  of  patrons  of  elevators  every  day  against 
careless  and  incompetent  workmen. 

10.  Under  the  county  administration  the  Grand 
Avenue  viaduct  was  built  by  union  labor. 

11.  Through  the  influence  of  the  Socialist  members 
of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors  the  new  County 
Agricultural  School  will  be  built  by  union  labor  in  its 
entirety. 

164 


12.  Through  the  influence  of  the  City  Purchasing 
Department  the  H.  H.  West  and  Siekert  &  Baum  print- 
ing and  bindery  establishments  were  organized. 

13.  All  horseshoeing  done  only  in  union  shops  by 
order  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works. 

14.  Secured  an  addition  of  two  days  ''offs"  for  the 
policemen  each  month. 

15.  The  new  police  and  fire  alarm  posts  are  now 
being  cast  in  a  union  shop  and  will  bear  the  label  of 
the  Holders'  International  Union.  And,  incidentally, 
the  posts  cost  $10  apiece  less  than  the  next  lowest  bid 
of  a  non-union  shop— thus  saving  the  taxpayers  $3,000 
on  the  600  posts  and  giving  us  the  union  label  besides. 

16.  Wherever  possible,  this  administration  has 
done  the  work  of  repair,  remodeling  and  building  by 
direct  employment,  employing  union  labor. 

17.  Ail  sprinkling  wagons  are  now  repaired  and 
painted  directly  by  the  city  by  union  labor,  and  for  the 

The  Awakening  of  Labor 


''^2''- 

^& 

''^V.       '-§ 

L^ 

x^ft 

^  \ L.       '    w 

^^fi^^^^^i 

*   )t^iik.  . '      ^ 

t^^^fi^^^''  J 

^^f-^m 

m^y/ 

P 

^ 

M^^^^^'  '  'W 

1 

1 

mm^^^^^^W^^^^^m 

',  -. 

^^^ 

Y^^^m^^^^^mj^^^^F. 

n 

Wl_- 

J  '          '^^^^^^^Mm^^^t          y 

-      •      '  ^^^^^Km^^KMS^^'^'  /^^ssf. 

M^j^Mtf""*'*,,^ 

^"jS^^^^jj^^g-^.!*^  '        -I 

Wk^S^^x^-^^ 

.M'^^r'i.'    -%*»„^ 

^ 

£^\ 

ir 

^s 

^ 

165 


first  time  in  the  history  of  the  city  they  bear  the  union 
label. 

18.  All  street  refuse  cans  bear  the  label  of  the 
Sheet  Metal  Workers'  and  Painters'  International 
Unions. 

19.  Every  bridgetender  in  the  city,  numbering 
eighty-eight,  organized,  and  where  they  formerly 
worked  72  hours  to  a  shift,  the  majority  are  now  em- 
ployed on  a  twelve-hour  shift,  and  all  will  be  placed 
on  a  twelve-hour  shift  as  soon  as  possible.  An  attempt 
was  made  to  increase  the  wages,  but  this  was  defeated 
by  the  minority.  Republicans  and  Democrats  to  a  man 
voting  to  kill  the  increase.  By  a  parliamentary  trick 
they  succeeded  in  laying  the  matter  over  for  two  weeks, 
thereby  defeating  the  increase. 

20.  Every  fireman,  engineer,  oiler,  coal  passer  and 
helper  in  the  city  and  county  buildings  now  belongs  to 
his  respective  union.  Every  man  is  now  carrying  a 
union  card.  And,  besides,  the  men  now  have  one  day 
off  in  seven,  something  never  before  enjoyed,  as  they 
formerly  worked  seven  days  per  week. 

21.  The  C.  F.  Comway  Company  of  Chicago  bid  on 
the  asphalt  street  paving  and  was  the  successful  bidder, 
but  the  administration  was  informed  that  this  firm  was 
fighting  union  labor  in  Chicago  for  the  past  three  years. 
The  administration  succeeded  in  persuading  this  firm 
to  yield  to  union  demands' and  organized  its  men,  not 
only  in  Milwaukee,  but  also  in  Chicago,  thereby  mate- 
rially assisting  the  engineers  and  other  trades  in  the 
street  paving  industry. 

22.  AH  elevator  operators  working  for  the  city  and 
county  have  been  organized  into  a  union  known  as  Ele- 
vator Operators'  Union  No.  13803  and  affiliated  with 
the  Federated  Tl-ades  Council  and  the  American  Fed- 
eration of  Labor. 

23.  The  elevator  inspectors  were  induced  to  join 
the  union  of  the  elevator  constructors  of  Milwaukee. 

24.  Garbage  and  ash  collectors  have  been  organ- 

i66 


ized  throug-h  the  assistance  of  the  administration. 

25.  This  administration  inaugurated  a  thorough 
and  systematic  factory  inspection  to  insure  steady  im- 
provement of  sanitary  conditions  of  labor. 

26.  Established  a  child  welfare  department  to  help 
in  the  problem  of  childhood  through  the  teaching  and 
assistance  of  mothers.     Reports  printed  in  all  papers. 

27.  Established  a  tuberculosis  commission  to  help 
the  people  in  the  fight  against  that  dread  disease. 


Taxation 

The  Rate  is  Lower.    But  the  Rich  Pay  Less  while  the 
Poor  Pay  More 

As  a  matter  of  fact  there  are  a  great  many  people 
in  Milwaukee  whose  taxes  this  year  will  bo  higher 
than  last. 

On  the  other  hand  there  are  a  lot  of  people  in  Mil- 
w^aukee  whose  taxes  this  year  will  be  less  than  last. 
The  Illinois  Steel  Trust,  for  example,  will  pay  $9,755 
less  this  year  than  last.  The  Semet-Solvay  Gas  and 
Coke  Company  will  pay  $5,217.26  less  this  year  than 
last.  The  whole  First  ward  is  reduced.  The  people 
living  there  will  pay  $70,000  less  taxes  this  year  than 
last.  The  Second  ward  is  also  reduced;  so,  also,  are 
the  Fifth  ward,  the  Seventh  ward,  the  Twelfth  ward 
and  others. 

And  speaking  from  the  standpoint  of  these  indi- 
viduals and  groups  of  people,  one  might  claim  that  the 
taxes  are  greatly  reduced  this  year. 

But  on  the  other  hand  thousands  of  people  have 
had  their  taxes  increased.  Whole  wards  have  been 
raised.  The  Twenty-second  ward,  for  example,  has 
been  increased  $77,000.  The  Twenty-first  ward  has 
been  raised  $43,000.  And  so  have  many  others.  So 
one  cannot  conclude  from  either  set  of  facts  as  to  the 
rate.     The  question  is  what  is  the  final  average— that 

167 


is  the  big  fact,  the  essential  truth.  Some  individuals 
and  some  sections  of  the  city  pay  less,  while  other 
individuals  and  other  sections  pay  more.  What,  then, 
is  the  average? 

The  average  is  a  trifle  lower.  The  tax  rate  is  lower 
this  year  than  last.  The  following  are  the  rates  of 
this  year  as  compared  to  those  of  last: 

Taxes  Per  Thousand  Dollars   of  Assessed  Valuation 

1910.  1911. 

City    $11.5491  $11.6555 

County    3.1761  3.1514 

State    1.6079  1.4881 

Total    $16,331  $16.2950 

Lower  in  1911  by  $.0381  in  the  $1,000. 

The  Illinois  Steel  Co.  Pays  $9,755  Less  Taxes 


The  Poor  Have  to  Make  It  Up 

i68 


Discrepancies  in  Last  Year's  Assessments 


We  have  contended  all  along  that  this  year's  assessments 
were  unfair  and  full  of  discriminations;  that  vast  properties 
have  been  omitted  from  the  assessment  rolls  entirely;  that 
big  properties  have  been  so  assessed  as  to  enormously  re- 
duce their  taxes,  while  small  properties  have  been  increased; 
that  whole  sections  of  the  city  have  been  favored,  while 
others  have  been  victimized.  And  we  contend  that  all  this 
has  been  done  through  the  manipulation  of  the  assessments, 
and  that  it  has  been  done  by  this  means  alone.  Among  the 
discrepancies  found,  the  following  are  the  most  glowing: 

1.  Omitted  Property.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  now  posi- 
tively known  that  there  is  an  enormous  amount  of  property 
that  should  have  been  put  on  the  assessment  rolls,  that 
Schutz  omitted  entirely.  The  Hamburger  case  positively 
established  the  fact  that  Schutz  had  refused  to  put  a  $650,- 
000  property  on  the  list.  The  omission  of  this  property 
alone  meant  a  loss  of  $10,000  taxes  to  the  city  this  year, 
and  a  total  of  $40,000  for  the  three  years  omitted. 

In  addition  to  this  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Social- 
Democrats  found  over  $6,000,000  of  personal  property  in 
monies,  credits,  stocks  and  bonds  omitted  from  the  tax  roll 
in  four  estates  alone.  These  were  as  follows,  basing  the 
value  upon  the  right  of  the  city  to  assess  for  three  years 

N.  Hamburger  Estate $2,400,000 

M.    Papendieck    Estate 100,000 

Charles  Welch  Estate 2,638,960 

Hoel   Camp  Estate 1,105,740 

Total $6,244,700 

2.  What  the  State  Authorities  Find.  Another  line  of 
evidence  that  shows  the  inefficiency  and  failure  of  the  tax 
commissioner  to  find  the  property  that  should  be  assessed 
and  bring  it  on  the  rolls  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  while 
Mr.  Schutz  reports  to  us  this  year  a  total  of  only  $442,932,- 
255  taxable  property  in  Milwaukee,  the  state  has  estimated 
and  assessed  our  part  of  the  state  tax  upon  the  basis  of 
$486,304,282.  In  other  words,  Mr.  Schutz  fails  to  find 
$43,370,027  which  the  state  authorities  find. 

What  the  state  found $486,304,282 

What    Schutz    found 442,932,255 

Discrepancy $43,372,027 

3.  Intangible  Properties.      And  besides  all  that  omitted 

169 


property  mentioned  above,  the  administration  has  contend- 
ed that  there  are  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  intangible 
property — monies,  credits,  etc.,  that  have  been  omitted  from 
the  tax  rolls.  How  much  this  amounts  to  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  say.  But  there  is  one  line  of  evidence  that  is 
quite  conclusive,  and  that  is  the  estimate  that  the  state 
authorities  make.  These  men  are  not  Socialists  and  can 
not  be  accused  of  being  partial  to  our  views.  They  found 
$22,186,000  worth  of  intangible  property  in  Milwaukee  for 
the  year  1910.  The  local  assessors  found  only  $6,890,000. 
There  is  a  discrepancy  of  $15,296,000  on  that  item  alone. 

And  we  are  convinced  that  there  are  many  millions  more 
than  this.  Evidence  was  presented  before  the  state  legis- 
lature in  a  brief  submitted  by  J.  L.  O'Connor  before  the 
joint  committee  on  finance,  showing  that  there  were  in  200 
cases  a  total  of  more  than  twelve  millions  of  dollars  in  in- 
tangible property  omitted  from  the  assessment  rolls  in  the 
city  of  Milwaukee.  Had  this  property,  or  any  considerable 
portion  of  it,  been  brought  on  the  tax  rolls  by  the  tax 
assessors  this  year  the  burden  of  the  people  would  not 
have  been  what  it  is. 

Speaking  of  this  effort  of  the  Social-Democrats  to  bring 
this  omitted  property  onto  the  tax  roll,  Mr.  J.  L.  O'Connor 
said  in  a  hearing  before  the  state  legislature: 

"It  is,  however,  due  to  the  present  administration  of 
the  city  of  Milwaukee  to  assert  that  it  is  the  first  adminis- 
tration which  has  ever  listened  to  the  complaints  of  those 
who  have  been  wronged  in  this  respect.  Other  administra- 
tions, either  for  personal,  social  or  political  reasons,  have 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  complaint  of  those  who  pleaded  for 
equality  and  justice  in  taxation." 

4.      Building   Inspector's    Records    Show   Discrepancies. 

Another  line  of  evidence  that  shows  conclusively  inefficiency 
and  inequality  of  the  assessments  is  shown  by  the  build- 
ing inspector's  records.  For  example,  a  new  eight  apart- 
ment house  recently  built  at  Nineteenth  and  National  Ave- 
nues was  assessed  this  year  at  $20,000. 

The  building  inspector's  records  show  that  the  permit 
taken  out  was  for  $26,000.  Here  is  a  discrepancy  of  $6,000 
on  this  one  building. 

Another  is  the  Stroh  Building  on  Michigan  Street,  as- 
sessed at  $140,000. 

The  building  inspector's  records  show  that  the  permit 
taken  out  for  the  building  was  for  $150,000  and  the  permit 
for  the  elevators  was  for  $7,000,  making  a  total  of  $157,- 
000.     This  shows  a  discrepancy  of  $17,000. 

Other  cases  by  the  score  of  this  sort  could  doubtlessly 
be  cited. 

170 


5.  Discrepancies  as  Shown  by  Sales  of  Property.  An- 
other way  to  tell  whether  the  assessments  have  been  true 
or  fair  is  to  watch  the  prices  at  which  properties  sell  and 
then  compare  those  prices  with  the  assessments.  A  num- 
ber of  big  properties  have  been  sold  recently  which  give  us 
a  chance  to  make  comparisons  of  this  kind.  Every  one  of 
them  shows  discrepancies  and  underassessment.  For  ex- 
ample, the  Kelley  store,  now  occupied  by  the  Hurley  & 
Riley  Company,  on  Wisconsin  Street,  near  the  Iron  Block, 
was  recently  sold  under  a  court  order  for  $220,000.  It  was 
assessed  at  only  $186,000.  There  is  a  discrepancy  in  the 
assessment  on  this  property  alone  of  $34,000.  That  means 
a  loss  to  the  taxpayers  of  $554.88  on  that  property  alone. 
Or,  rather,  it  meant  a  shifting  of  that  amount  of  taxes  from 
the  rich  to  the  poor. 

Again,  the  Mack  Block  was  recently  sold  for  $625,000. 
The  total  assessment  on  this  block  was  only  $520,000,  a 
discrepancy  of  $105,000  in  the  assessment. 

The  Sharp  house,  recently  purchased  by  P.  Cudahy  at  a 
reported  price  of  $75,000,  was  assessed  at  only  $39,000,  a 
discrepancy  of  $36,000  in  the  assessment.  The  total  under- 
assessment in  these  two  cases  amounts  to  $141,000.  And 
the  tax  lost  to  the  city  by  the  failure  of  proper  assessment 
in  these  two  cases  would  amount  to  $2,298.30.  This  means 
that  that  amount  of  taxes  has  simply  been  shifted  from 
those  properties  onto  the  shoulders  of  the  small  property 
owners.  Scores  of  such  cases  undoubtedly  occurred  through- 
out the  city. 

6.  Comparison  by  Wards.  Or  look  at  it  in  another 
way.  Compare  the  assessment  of  the  various  wards,  and 
one  can  hardly  escape  the  conviction  that  there  have  been 
fearful  discrepancies.  For  example,  the  First  Ward,  taking 
all  the  property  owners  together,  pays  $70,029.57  less  than 
the  same  properties  paid  last  year.  Their  taxes  certainly 
were  not  increased. 

But  see  what  happens  to  the  people  in  the  Twenty- 
second  Ward.  They  paid  $77,000.22  more  this  year  than 
last  year.  Is  there  some  reason  why  the  people  of  the 
Twenty-second  Ward,  common  people  almost  entirely,  mem- 
bers of  the  working  class — is  there  any  good  reason  why 
their  burden  should  be  increased  by  nearly  $80,000,  while 
the  burden  of  the  people  in  the  First  Ward,  where  the 
millionaires  live,  should  be  reduced  by  over  $70,000? 

Such  a  glaring  case  cannot  be  easily  explained  away. 

Or,  again,  the  Seventh  Ward  property  owners  pay  $35,- 
520.07  less  this  year,  while  the  Tenth  Ward  pays  $27,769.71 
more. 

In  none  of  these  cases  mentioned  are  there  any  annexa- 

171 


This  Mansion  on  the  Boulevard 


Pays  $18.00  Less  Taxes 

tions,  so  that  the  discrepancies  cannot  be  accounted  for  in 
that  way.  In  fact,  they  cannot  be  fairly  accounted  for  at 
all.     There  seems  to  be  no  excuse. 

7.  Comparison  by  Blocks.  Or  if  we  select  a  block  from 
Prospect  Avenue,  where  the  millionaires  live,  and  another 
block  over  in  the  Ninth  Ward,  where  tTie  working  class 
live,  and  compare  every  property,  one  after  the  other,  just 
as  they  come,  we  discover  that  in  the  millionaires'  block  in 
the  First  Ward  every  single  property  is  decreased.  The  de- 
crease in  actual  taxes  paid  by  the  millionaires  ranges  from 
$51  decrease  to  $508  decrease.  Apparently  the  bigger  the 
property,  the  bigger  the  decrease. 

But  in  the  workingman's  block  every  single  property, 
with  one  exception  (and  that  a  large  property)  is  increased 
all  the  way  from  $2  to  $13. 

Cases  of  discrimination  and  irregularities  of  assess- 
ments like  this  could  be  multiplied  almost  without  limit. 

8.  Convicted  by  His  Own  Statements.  And  finally,  if 
any  further  evidence  is  needed  to  convince  the  most  un- 
willing, we  may  add  the  statements  of  Tax  Commissioner 
Schutz  himself  as  a  basis  of  final  proof  that  the  assessments 
are  unfair. 


Tax  Commissioner  Schutz  submitted  to  the  committee 
on  taxes  a  record  of  the  reail  estate  sales  of  the  city  of 
Milwaukee  from  January  1,  1910,  to  January  1,  1911,  as 
indicated  by  sales  cards  on  file  in  his  office.  Now,  accord- 
ing to  these  cards  and  his  statement,  the  assessments  this 
year  in  the  First,  Second,  Fifth,  Seventh,  Eighth,  Eleventh, 
Twelfth,  Thirteenth,  Fourteenth,  Fifteenth,  Seventeenth, 
Twenty-first  and  Twenty-third  Wards  were  all  of  them  far 
under  the  valuation  that  they  should  have  been  according  to 
the  records  of  sales  that  the  tax  commissioner  had  on  rec- 
ord in  his  own  office,  and  according  to  the  rate  established 
in  each  respective  ward  by  the  tax  commissioner  himself. 

This  Workingman's  Cottage 


Pays  $14.14  More 

173 


And  the  total  discrepancy — the  total  underassessment  in 
this  case,  according  to  his  own  figures^was  $22,237,920. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  were  a  few  wards  in  which  the 
assessment  was  above  the  recorded  rate  of  sales  and  the 
proportion  of  rate  established  by  the  tax  commissioner. 
These  wards  in  which  the  assessment  was  above  the  tax 
commissioner's  estimate  of  sales  were  the  Third,  Fourth, 
Sixth,  Ninth,  Tenth,  Sixteenth,  Eighteenth,  Nineteenth, 
Twentieth  and  Twenty-second  Wards. 

And  the  total  amount  above  the  tax  commissioner's  esti- 
mate of  sales  was  $12,155,506. 

And,  according  to  these  figures,  the  total  underassess- 
ment on  the  basis  of  his  own  estimate  was  $10,082,414. 

So  here  we  have  evidence  out  of  his  own  tables  and 
estimates  of  the  shift  of  the  burden  of  taxation,  irregulari- 
ties and  underassessments. 

Look  at  it  as  you  may,  consider  it  from  any  point  of 
view,  study  any  line  of  evidence  you  choose,  and  there  is  no 
escape  from  the  conviction  of  glaring  inequalities,  discrep- 
ancies and  unfairness  in  the  assessment  in  the  city  this 
year. 

Even  if  one  or  the  other  line  of  evidence  referred  to 
above  may  not  be  regarded  by  one  as  final  or  conclusive, 
when  they  are  all  put  together  they  are  simply  over- 
whelming. 

Here  is  the  nigger  in  the  woodpile.  If  your  taxes  are 
higher  this  year  than  they  were  last  the  fault  is  with  the 
assessments.  And  the  assessments  were  made  not  by  the 
Socialists,  but  by  the  tax  assessors  under  the  direction  of 
Frank  B.  Schutz,  the  Rose  Democratic  holdover  chairman  of 
the  State  Democratic  campaign  committee. 

The  Tax  Question  Made  Plain 

By  Carl  D.  Thompson 

Heretofore  municipal  government  has  been  a  closed 
book.  The  Socialists  are  determined  to  make  it  an  open 
book.  They  want  the  people  to  know  exactly  what  is  going 
on,  how  things  are  managed,  and  where  every  dollar  comes 
from  and  where  every  dollar  goes. 

Accordingly  they  are  anxious  that  the  people  shall  un- 
derstand the  problem  of  taxation — how  the  taxes  are  raised, 
how  the  assessments  are  made,  and  who  is  responsible  for 
it  all. 

1.  The  Method  of  Taxation.  First  of  all,  it  is  impor- 
tant to  understand  that  the  state  legislature  makes  laws 
determining  how  we  shall  tax  our  property,  whether  by  an 

174 


income  tax,  a  tax  on  real  estate  or  on  personal  property; 
how  much  and  what  particular  kinds  of  property  shall  be 
exempt.  It  also,  in  some  cases,  fixes  by  law  the  amount  of 
money  that  shall  be  raised  for  certain  purposes,  as,  for  in- 
stance, in  the  case  of  the  schools.  To  that  extent  the  state 
legislature  is  responsible. 

2.  The  Two  Parts  of  the  Probiem.  From  our  stand- 
point in  the  city  there  are  two  parts  to  the  taxation  prob- 
lem, viz:      the  expenditures  and  the  assessments. 

(1)  The  expenditures  of  the  city  will,  of  course,  bear 
directly  upon  the  taxes  to  be  paid.  The  more  expenditures, 
the  more  taxes,  naturally.  It  is  important  to  know,  there- 
fore, what  the  expenditures  of  the  city  have  been  this  year 
and  who  is  responsible  for  them.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
total  expenditures  this  year  were  about  $700,000  more  than 
last  year.  But  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  conclude  that  the 
Socialists  were  responsible  for  that  much  of  added  expendi- 
ture. For,  in  the  first  place,  the  revenues  of  the  city  have 
increased  considerably  over  those  of  last  year,  and  nearly 
$4  00,000  more  taxes  have  been  paid  by  new  property  in 
annexed  territory,  new  buildings,  new  personal  property, 
etc. 

So,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  only  a  little  over  $400,- 
000  more  taxes  levied  on  account  of  these  increased  ex- 
penditures than  was  levied  last  year.  But  even  this  amount 
of  increased  expenditures  can  not  be  laid  to  the  charge  of 
the  Socialist  administration,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the 
largest  increase  and  the  greater  proportion  of  expenditures 
are  made  in  departments  over  which  the  administration  has 
no  control,  or,  at  best,  very  limited  control.  For  example, 
the  expenditures  for  school  purposes  in  the  city  this  year 
were  increased  by  $196,779.35.  This  was  the  largest  in- 
crease, by  far  the  largest  expenditure  of  the  total  budget, 
and  yet  this  amount  is  fixed  by  law.  The  council  has  noth- 
ing to  say  about  it. 

A  similar  situation  prevails  in  regard  to  park  and  boule- 
vard expenditures,  where  there  was  over  $11,000  increase; 
the  same  with  regard  to  the  library,  which  came  in  for 
almost  $10,000  increase.  So  with  the  public  museum.  City 
Service  Commission.  Then  there  are  heavy  expenditures 
that  were  fixed  by  former  administrations  which  could  not 
be  blamed  to  the  present  administration.  For  example,  the 
sinking  and  interest  funds  on  bonds  issued  years  ago  call 
for  an  increased  expenditure  this  year  of  $34,649.96,  to 
say  nothing  of  a  one  hundred  thousand  dollar  accumulated 
deficit  which  the  present  administration  had  to  assume. 
Furthermore,  the  Police  and  Fire  Departments,  since  both 
of  them  are  beyond  the  control  of  the  administration,   in 

175 


that  both  chiefs  were  appointed  by  other  administrations, 
are  under  an  outside  commission,  and  the  men  appointed 
under  civil  service,  so  that  neither  the  policy  nor  the  man- 
agement of  the  departments  are  under  control  of  the  admin- 
istration, have  also  called  for  heavy  increases  in  expendi- 
tures— the  Fire  Department  for  $8,087.75  and  the  Police 
Department  for  $28,282. 

In  fact,  only  about  12  per  cent  of  the  total  expenditures 
of  the  city  are  under  the  complete  control  of  the  city  coun- 
cil. So  that  only  $342,000  of  the  total  increased  expendi- 
tures are  wholly  under  council  control,  while  $450,000  of 
the  increased  expenditures  were  in  departments  in  which 
the  administration  has  no  responsibility.  And,  besides, 
some  of  the  funds  appropriated  will  be  turned  back  into 
the  treasury  before  the  end  of  the  year,  because  the  econ- 
omy of  the  administration  has  enabled  it  to  accomplish  the 
work  more  cheaply  than  was  expected.  This  will  still  fur- 
ther reduce  the  increases  in  that  part  for  which  the  council 
is  responsible. 

So  if  the  schools  have  found  it  necessary  to  call  for 
heavy  increases  in  expenditures;  if  the  Park  Board,  the 
library,  the  historical  museum,  the  Police  and  Fire  Depart- 
ments have  all  without  exception  called  for  heavy  increases, 
the  administration  can  certainly  not  be  charged  with  ex- 
travagant expenditures  when  for  all  of  the  departments 
under  its  control  it  requires  a  less  increase  than  other  de- 
partments. Therefore,  with  regard  to  the  expenditures,  the 
present  administration  may  justly  claim  to  have  exercised 
due  diligence  and  economy.  No  cause  for  higher  taxes  can 
be  found  on  this  side  of  the  problem,  and  especially  is  this 
so  when  we  bear  in  mind  that  over  and  against  the  rela- 
tively small  increase  of  expenditures  is  to  be  placed  at  least 
$30,000,000  of  new  property  in  annexed  territory,  new 
buildings,  and  personal  property,  due  to  the  natural  growth 
of  the  city. 

2.  We  turn,  then,  to  the  second  part  of  the  problem, 
namely,  the  assessments.  Here  is  where  the  difficulty  has 
always  arisen,  and  here  is  where  we  find  it  in  the  present 
situation.  For,  since  the  rate  of  taxation  depends  upon 
the  manner  in  which  the  assessments  are  made;  and  since, 
further,  the  proportion  of  the  tax  burden  which  each  indi- 
vidual taxpayer  has  to  bear  is  determined  by  the  valuation 
placed  upon  his  property  by  the  assessor,  the  whole  problem 
depends  upon  the  assessment  that  is  made. 

3.  The  Process  of  Taxation.  With  the  above  state- 
ment of  the  problem  clearly  in  mind,  it  is  important  next  to 
understand  the  process  by  which  the  fixing  of  the  taxes  is 
determined.      This  involves  three  points: 

176 


(1)  The  Tax  Commissioner — The  tax  commissioner  is 
the  head  of  the  assessing  or  Tax  Department,  and  while  not 
responsible  for  the  amount  of  money  spent  by  the  city, 
decides  how  much  or  how  little  of  the  whole  amount  col- 
lected each  owner  shall  pay,  he  having  control  of  the  value 
fixed  upon  each  one's  property. 

Now,  the  tax  commissioner  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
Board  of  Assessors,  and  who  was,  therefore,  responsible  for 
the  assessments  up  to  January  of  this  year  (1912J,  was 
Frank  B.  Schutz  (remember  the  name).  Schutz  was  ap- 
pointed by  David  S.  Rose  in  1908  for  a  term  of  three  years. 
He  is  now  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Committee. 

The  law  says  (page  99  of  the  Charter)  that  the  assessor 
shall  decide  the  value  of  your  property  under  the  direction 
and  supervision  of  the  tax  commissioner.      So  we  say: 

Frank  B.  Schutz  and  his  28  assessors  are  the  ones  who 
are  responsible  for  the  values  placed  on  the  homes  of  people 
of  Milwaukee,  and  the  irregularities  in  the  taxes  they  pay. 

(.2)  The  Board  of  Assessors — Under  the  tax  commis- 
sioner, then,  and  appointed  by  him,  are  28  assessors,  who, 
together  with  the  tax  commissioner,  constitute  what  is 
known  as  the  Board  of  Assessors. 

It  is  the  duty  of  each  assessor  to  view  every  parcel  of 
land  and  other  property  of  value  within  his  district  and 
determine  the  true  value  thereof.  The  assessor  enters  into 
what  is  called  his  "field  book"  the  description  of  each  piece 
of  real  property  and  improvements  thereon,  and  the  name 
of  every  person  owning  other  property  of  value,  called  "per- 
sonal property,"  together  with  the  valuation.  This  valua- 
tion, determined  by  the  assessor,  is  final,  except  in  certain 
cases,  as  we  shall  hereinafter  explain. 

If  the  assessor  determines  a  value  which  is  too  high,  you 
will  pay  too  much  in  taxes;  if  he  decides  a  value  which  is 
too  low,  you  will  pay  less  than  your  share  in  taxes.  If  he 
permits  certain  property  to  remain  unassessed  he  thereby 
increases  the  tax  on  such  property  which  has  been  assessed. 

Now,  the  assessor  this  year  decided  how  much  your 
property  was  worth.  He  wrote  into  the  assessment  book 
the  value  as  determined  by  himself,  and  you  pay  taxes  now 
on  what  he  has  fixed  the  value  of  your  property  to  be. 

If  the  assessor  has  decided  that  the  property  of  big  in- 
terests is  in  proportion  less  than  he  decided  last  year,  then 
the  big  interests  will  pay  less  taxes  this  year  than  last. 

What  the  big  interests  get  out  of  paying,  the  rest  will 
have  to  pay,  because  the  money  needed  to  run  the  city  must 
be  paid. 

If  the  assessor  has  decided  that  your  property  in  propor- 
tion is  worth  more  than  last  year,  then  you  will  pay  more 

177 


taxes  than  last  year,  and  help  to  pay  that  which  the  big  in- 
terests get  out  of  pajdng. 

Now,  we  say  that  the  big  interests  generally  are  paying 
less  this  year  than  last  year,  and  the  majority  of  the  little 
owners  are  paying  more. 

A  reduction  of  $1,000  on  a  big  property  means  an  in- 
crease of  $10  each  on  100  small  homes.  The  small  homes 
in  most  of  the  workingmen's  districts  have  been  increased 
proportionately  higher  than  last  year,  and  by  reason  there- 
of are  paying  more  taxes  this  year.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
mansions  of  this  city,  this  year,  as  a  rule,  as  well  as  much 
of  the  other  big  property,  have  been  assessed  proportion- 
ately at  a  lower  value,  and  because  of  this  are  paying  less 
taxes  than  last  year.  This  assertion  is  made  glaringly  evi- 
dent from  the  assessment  rolls  as  made  by  the  assessors  un- 
der the  supervision  of  Frank  B.  Schutz,  Democratic  state 
chairman.  For  example,  there  are  30  large  properties  in 
the  city  that  have  paid  a  total  of  $41,631.12  less  in  taxes 
than  they  paid  last  year.  That  means  that  4,163  small 
home  owners  will  have  to  dig  up  $10  each  more  taxes  than 
they  paid  last  year  in  order  to  make  up  that  amount  alone. 

Now,  this  is  wrong  and  you  should  know  who  is  respon- 
sible. 

(3)  The  Board  of  Review — Some  have  tried  to  lay  the 
blame  for  the  unequal  assessments  upon  the  Socialists,  upon 
the  ground  that  Mayor  Seidel  and  City  Clerk  Thompson 
were  members  of  this  board.  It  is  important,  therefore, 
that  all  should  understand  just  how  far  the  Board  of  Re- 
view is  responsible  and  how  small  a  voice  and  vote  the 
Socialists  had  on  this  board. 

There  are  31  members  of  the  Board  of  Review  and  only 
two  Socialists  among  them.  It  is  2  against  29,  and  this 
Board  of  Review  is  made  up  in  a  very  peculiar  manner. 
The  same  men  that  make  the  assessments  and  constitute 
the  Board  of  Assessors  are  also  the  Board  of  Review,  with 
the  exception  of  the  mayor  and  the  city  clerk. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  how  little  the  Socialists  are 
responsible  for  the  work  of  this  board.  In  the  first  place, 
they  have  only  2  votes  out  of  31.  But,  in  the  second  place, 
this  Board  of  Review  could  not  possibly  be  held  responsible, 
for  the  assessments,  even  if  it  were  made  up  entirely  of  So- 
cialists, for  the  simple  reason  that  they  are  allowed,  under 
the  law,  only  about  three  weeks  to  review  the  work  that 
took  2  8  men  a  whole  year  to  complete. 

It  will  be  seen  how  utterly  impossible  it  would  have 
been  for  the  Board  of  Review  to  go  over  the  work.  But, 
what  is  more,  it  is  not  expected  that  they  should.  The 
Board  of  Review  is  merely  intended  to  hear  complaints,  and 

178 


the  board  was  kept  so  busy  hearing  these  complaints  that 
it  was  utterly  impossible  for  it  to  view  property  or  go  over 
the  assessments,  even  had  it  been  expected  to  do  so. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  Socialists  have  so  far 
had  practically  nothing  to  say  about  the  assessments.  That 
responsibility  rests  absolutely  and  wholly  with  the  Demo- 
cratic tax  commissioner  and  his  28  assessors. 

And  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  common  coun- 
cil can  not  increase  or  lower  the  assessments  or  change 
them  in  any  way.  So  that  all  the  council  can  do  is  either 
to  approve  or  disapprove  the  tax  roll  as  a  whole.  Under 
the  law  it  has  practically  no  choice  in  the  matter,  and  the 
assessment  must  stand. 

Does  this  not  make  it  perfectly  clear,  then,  who  is  re- 
sponsible for  this  year's  inequitable  assessment? 

It  is  the  man  who  directed  and  supervised  the  assess- 
ment, and  under  whose  instructions  his  assessors  made  the 
valuation  of  your  property  and  the  property  throughout  the 
city. 

That  man  is  Frank  B.  Schutz. 

The  last  remnant  of  the  old  Rose  regime  left  in  the  city 
hall. 

The  Social-Democrats  have  put  them  out.  But  they  are 
fighting  to  get  back.  They'  now  call  themselves  non- 
partisan. 

But  it's  the  same  old  gang  with  a  little  different  paint 
and  feathers. 

The  Rich  Pay  Less 

FIRST  WARD 
Millionaires'  Block 

1910.  1911.       Decrease. 

Charles  Ray $1,147  $    889  $257 

Eliza  Conan    100  838  262 

August  F.   Gallun 1,237  944  292 

F.    T.    Goll 699  569  129 

A.  L.  Benjamin 1,810  1,302  508 

C.   li.   Mcintosh 1,519  1,058  461 

L.  Bartlett    364  312  51 

C.  S.  Kern 486  380  105 

V.   1j.   Pillsbury 1,344  1,034  310 

A.    H.    Noyes 593  478  115 

Mrs.  A.  Hale 402  324  78 

A.  Heinemann    580  464  115 

A.  McGeoch    364  301  63 

(See  Next  Page) 

179 


The  Poor  Pay  More 

NINTH  WARD. 

The  Common  People's  Blopk 

1910.  1911.  Increase. 

Frank  Mueller    $48.29  $54.44  $6.16 

Frank   Mueller    26.46               29.68  3.22 

F.  Peterman 20.87               25.92  2.84 

E.    Stahl    24.15                26.99  2.84 

Wiener     17.39               18.81  1.42 

O.   Schmidt    71.09               84.34  13.25 

A.  Koops    19.32                21.15  1.83 

Nehring    , 27.04               30.37  3.33 

Nicholaus    20.28               22.20  1.92 

Paul    Fenn     22.21               24.53  2.32 

Nehrbase    22.21               24.53  2.32 

A.    Brown    28.98               31.07  2.09 

George   Gurrath    58.53               67.99  9.46 

Wietman    19.90               21.73  1.83 

Kaun    29.56               32.94  3.38 

Rice    &    Friedman 763.01  664.82  x98.19 


xDecrease. 


A  SUCCESSFUL  EXPERIMENT 


The  progressive  city  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  has  adopted  a 
form  of  government  which,  while  not  perfect,  is  a  great 
improvement  over  the  old  style.  The  new  method  savors 
of  Socialism,  but  not  in  that  way  most  people  think  of 
Socialism.  Mr.  John  Colier  describes  clearly  in  Harper's 
Weekly  the  true  meaning  of  the  term: 

"The  Socialist  who  insists  on  being  absolute  in  his 
aims,  rigid  in  his  doctrines,  must,  it  is  true,  find  himself 
'let  down'  in  the  presence  of  Milwaukee  Socialism.  But  all 
Americans  interested  in  good  government  and  in  progres- 
sive democracy  will  congratulate  the  Milwaukee  Socialists, 
They  have  had  courage  to  refuse  to  die  in  a  futile  assault 
on  things-as-they-are,  mowed  down  by  the  guns  of  present- 
day  jurisprudence  and  heaped  on  the  barriers  of  economic 
fact.  But  they  have  been  faithful  to  that  part  of  Socialism 
which  subordinates  business  considerations  to  human  wel- 
fare, but  does  not  subordinate  human  welfare  to  economic 
theory." — The  Baptist  "Young  People." 

i8o 


How  the  Rich  are  Favored 

The  following  table  gives  a  few  of  the  properties  that  the 

Democratic  Tax  Commissioner  has  lowered  the  taxes  on. 
What  did  he  do  to  yours? 

BIG  PROPERTIES  SHOW  ENORMOUS 
DECREASE. 

Wells  Building  Co $  1,953.48 

National  Enameling  &  Stamping  Co.. .  .  .  1,097.61 

Milwaukee  Sentinel  Building 544.21 

Majestic  Building 1,469.51 

Pritzlaff  Hardware  Co 951.75 

L.  J.  Petit 407.55 

F.  W.  Seefeld 342.38 

Semet-Solvay  Co 5,723.47 

Illinois  Steel  Co 9,755.96 

Allis-Chalmers  Co.. : 3,033.08 

Colby  &  Abbott  Building. 706.25 

C,  M.  &  St.  P.  Ry. 1,151.25 

Chamber  of  Commerce 2,322.31 

J.  E.  Friend 385.07 

B.  M.  Frank 297.16 

Brodhead  Estate 244.45 

Tom  Neacy  Flats 1,101.77 

Wells  Estate  Building 236.97 

Masonic  Building 249.66 

A.  L.  Benjamin 508.00 

C.  L.  Mcintosh : .  461.00 

A.  F.  Gallun. 292.00 

V.  S.  Pillsbury 310.00 

E.  Coonan 262.00 

Cutler-Hammer  Co 362.41 

Geo.  W.  Peck. .    284.00 

C.  T.  Bradley 360.31 

Plankinton  Estate 355.06 

Zoehrlaut  Leather  Co 1,093.25 

Cudahy  Flats 339.00 

Total $41,631.12 

i8i 


Go  'way  'oo  Bad  Boys 


CHILD  WELFARE 

The  Social-Democratic  administration  appropriated 
$5,000'  to  assist  in  the  development  of  child  welfare 
work  in  the  city. 

This  commission  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the 
United  States,  and  is  the  first  effort  on  the  part  of  any 
large  city  to  meet  the  problem  of  child  life  in  a  com- 
prehensive way. 

The  Child  Welfare  Station  was  established  at  990 
Eighth  Avenue,  in  the  Fourteenth  Ward,  on  the  South 
Side.  An  area  of  thirty-three  blocks  was  selected  as 
the  point  for  the  first  demonstration  of  the  possibilities 
of  this  kind  of  work.  Trained  nurses  visited  the  moth- 
ers in  this  district,  giving  them  such  advice  and  assist- 
ance as  occasion  required.  Volunteer  physicians  assist- 
ed in  the  work. 

As  the  result  of  the  work  of  this  department  the 
182 


death  rate  in  the  district  described  has  been  reduced  to 
a  very  striking  degree.  And  the  cost  of  the  work 
which  is  carried  on  is  about  $15  per  year  per  mother 
and  child,  or  less  than  5  cents  per  day.  The  average 
cost  of  raising  a  baby  to  four  months  and  then  burying 
it  is  more  than  $100. 

In  addition  to  the  establishing  of  the  Child  Welfare 
Station,  the  commission  has  made  a  careful  study  of 
the  milk  supply.  In  this  it  has  been  assisted  by  the 
special  work  of  experts  in  this  line.  A  study  of  the 
playground  and  recreation  problem  has  been  made  for 
the  commission  and  a  plan  formulated  for  extending 
this  part  of  the  work.  This  study  was  made  by  Mr. 
Haynes  of  New  York  City,  and  constitutes  an  impor- 
tant contribution  to  the  welfare  of  children  in  Mil- 
waukee. 

In  addition  to  the  $5,000  appropriated  by  the  city, 
$1,500  was  secured  for  this  work  from  voluntary  con- 
tributions. The  services  of  two  trained  nurses  were 
contributed  by  the  Visiting  Nurses'  Association  and 
the  work  of  Mr.  Haynes  (amounting  to  $600)  was  con- 
tributed by  the  Playground  and  Recreation  Association 
of  America. 

The  services  of  the  supervising  physician  at  the 
baby  station  were  contributed  without  pay.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  commission  and  a  number  of  other  people 
have  given  generously  of  time  and  effort  to  this  work. 


BUREAU  OP  EFFICIENCY  AND  ECONOMY 

One  of  the  most  important  and  striking  features  of 
the  work  of  the  Social-Democratic  administration  is  its 
securing  an  expert  service  in  the  municipal  administra- 
tion. 

__  In  line  with  this  policy  one  of  the  first  important 
acts  of  the  administration  was  the  establishment  of  a 
Bureau  of  Efficiency  and  Economy. 

To  this  end  $5,000  was  appropriated  during  1910 
and  $18,000  for  1911. 

183 


Professor  John  R.  Commons  of  the  University  of 
Wisconsin,  one  of  the  best  known  students  of  munici- 
pal and  economic  problems  in  America,  was  secured  to 
take  charge  of  this  bureau.  Under  him  is  E-.  M.  Ras- 
all,  as  assistant  director,  and  four  assistants  were  per- 
manently secured.  In  addition,  from  time  to  time, 
other  experts  have  been  engaged  to  assist  in  special 
problems.  A  group  of  the  country's  foremost  men  in 
accounting,  organization,  finance,  taxation,  engineer- 
ing and  sanitation  consented  to  act  as  consulting  ex- 
perts of  the  bureau. 

Among  these  consulting  experts  are  such  famous 
men  as  Major  Charles  Hine,  organization  expert  of  the 
Harriman  Lines ;  Harrington  Emerson,  consulting  effi- 
ciency engineer,  New  York  City ;  F.  E.  Turneaure,  dean 
College  of  engineering  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin; 
Louis  E.  Reber,  formerly  dean  College  of  Engineering, 
Pennsylvania  State  College;  S.  W.  Gilman,  consulting 
accountant  of  President  Taft's  Inquiry  into  Economy 
and  Efficiency;  Peter  White,  accountant  and  finance 
counsel  of  the  Chicago  Bureau  of  Public  Efficiency; 
H.  L.  Russell,  dean  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin ;  W.  T.  Sedgwick,  head  of  the  De- 
partment of  Public  Health  and  Biology  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Institute  of  Technology ;  T.  S.  Adams,  member 
of  the  Wisconsin  Tax  Commission;  and  H.  R.  Sands, 
director  of  the  Chicago  Bureau  of  Public  Efficiency. 

During  the  first  fifteen  months  of  its  existence  the 
bureau  rendered  notable  assistance  to  the  various  de- 
partments. Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  work 
of  consolidating  the  fire  and  police  alarm  telegraph 
systems;  the  consolidation  of  the  plumbing  and  house 
drain  inspection;  reorganization  of  the  garbage,  ash 
and  rubbish  collection. 

The  bureau  also  prepared  and  submitted  valuable 
reports  on  the  sanitary  inspection ;  communicable  dis- 
eases; meats  and  foods  and  the  milk  supply  for  the 
Health  Department;  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  a 
report  on  water  waste,  electrolysis  and  utilization  of 

184 


by-products  at  the  garbage  incinerator.  Cost  systems 
were  worked  out  for  the  street  sprinkling,  oiling  and 
flushing  work;  board  of  examiners  of  stationary  engi- 
neers and  cement  sidewalk  repairs. 

Special  studies  and  reports  were  made  on  free  legal 
aid,  free  employment  bureau,  housing  conditions,  gar- 
nishment of  wages,  workmen's  accidents,  women's 
wages  and  the  newsboys  of  Milwaukee. 

For  the  coming  year  the  bureau  proposes  to  give 
special  attention  to  the  question  of  tax  assessment 
methods,  forms  and  records,  general  accounting  scheme 
for  the  city,  and  the  standardizing  of  purchases. 

THE  SMOKE  INSPECTOR'S  DEPARTMENT 
Gretting  Rid  of  the  Smoke  Nuisance 

As  the  city  grows  the  smoke  from  locomotives, 
steamboats,  tugs,  manufacturing  plants  and  the  like 
becomes  an  increasing  nuisance. 

The  present  administration  has  supported  vigor- 
ously the  aggressive  work  of  the  smoke  inspector's  de- 
partment in  trying  to  improve  these  conditions. 

The  smoke  ordinances  have  been  improved. 

The  department  has  been  particularly  alert  and 
aggressive  in  enforcing  the  ordinances.  Records  have 
been  kept  of  499  plants,  involving  1,126  boilers. 

In  their  anti-smoke  campaign  the  inspectors  have 
taken  492  photographs,  served  82  notices,  brought  59 
cases  into  court,  of  which  49  were  fined  $25  and  costs 
and  one  $50  and  costs. 

In  the  matter  of  improvements  they  have  succeed- 
ed in  having  9  Jones  underfeed  stokers  installed;  7 
Taylor  gravity  underfeed  stokers,  3  Murphy,  2  Rooney, 
1  Swift,  4  Erie  and  4  Green  chain  grates,  4  Burke  fur- 
naces, 3  combustion  arches  and  22  miscellaneous  de- 
vices, such  as  steam  jets,  etc.,  installed. 

Six  plants  are  now  burning  smokeless  fuel  and 
nine  chimneys  have  been  changed  or  rebuilt. 

i8s 


Instructions  to  Voters 


WHO  IS  ENTITLED  TO  VOTE 

Every  male  person  of  the  age  of  21  years,  or  upward, 
who  has  resided  in  the  state  for  one  year  next  preceding 
any  election,  and  in  the  election  district,  where  he  offers 
to  vote,  10  days,  is  deemed  a  qualified  elector,  if  he  belongs 
to  the  following  classes: 

1.  Citizens  of  the  United  States.     Citizens  are: 

(a)  All  persons  born  in  the  United  States. 

(b)  Such  persons  who  have  taken  out  their 
second  papers. 

(c)  Such  persons  who  came  to  this  country  be- 
fore they  were  21  years  of  age,  and  whose  parents 
have  taken  out  their  second  papers,  before  the  chil- 
dren became  21  years  of  age: 

2.  Persons  of  foreign  birth  who  have  taken  out  their 
first  papers  prior  to  the  1st  day  of  December,  1908,  but 
their  right  to  vote  will  cease  on  December  1,  1912.  After 
that  they  will  have  to  have  their  second  papers  to  be  en- 
titled to  vote. 

How  to  Be  Registered 

The  legal  voter  can  get  his  name  on  the  registry  list  in 
two  ways: 

1.  (the  easiest  way)  By  filling  in  the  card,  distribut- 
ed by  the  Police  Department,  and  returning  it  through  the 
police  office  to  the  Election  Commission. 

2.  By  having  his  name  registered  at  the  polling  place 
in  his  precinct.  But  to  do  this  he  must  appear  in  person; 
must  fill  in  a  registration  card  and  swear  to  the  correctness 
of  the  statements  made  on  the  card  before  the  chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Registration  at  the  polling  place. 

Registrations  at  the  polling  places  will  be  held  for  the 
ensuing  election  on 

March  12,  1912,  from  8  a.  m.  to  8  p.  m.;  and  on 

March  26,  1912,  from  8  a.  m.  to  8  p.  m. 

Voters  can  also  have  their  names  registered,  in  the 
same  way,  on  primary  day,  March  19,  1912,  but  such  regis- 
tration will  not  entitle  them  to  vote  on  primary  day.  If 
they  wish  to  vote  on  primary  day  they  have  to  file  an  affi- 
davit, corroborated  by  two  freeholders. 

How  to  Vote  on  Primary  Day 

Go  to  the  polling  place  of  your  district  as  early  as  you 
can.     The  polls  will  be  open  from  6  a.  m.  until  8  p.  m. 

Entering  the  polling  place,  go  first  to  the  two  inspectors, 
who  keep  the  poll  and  check  list.     They  will  check  your 

i86 


-^ 


name  on  the  registry  list  and  hand  you  a  numbered  slip, 
certifying  that  you  are  entitled  to  vote. 

Next,  go  to  the  ballot  clerks,  who  will  hand  you  a  blank 
ballot. 

This  ballot  consists  of  as  many  sheets  as  there  are 
parties  in  the  field.  Go  into  one  of  the  little  stalls,  tear 
from  the  ballot  the  ticket  you  intend  to  vote,  and  mark  it 
by  putting  a  cross  behind  the  names  of  the  candidates  you 
wish  to  vote  for,  for  first  choice.  Next,  put  a  cross  behind 
the  names  of  the  candidates  you  wish  to  vote  for  for  second 
choice. 

Be  sure  not  to  vote  for  the  same  candidates  for  first  and 
second  choice;  if  you  do,  the  second  choice  votes  will  not  be 
counted. 

After  marking  your  ticket,  fold  it,  take  with  you  the 
unused  leaves  of  the  43allot,  go  to  the  inspector  who  has 
charge  of  the  ballot  box,  hand  him  first  the  numbered  cer- 
tificate showing  your  right  to  vote  (which  certificate  you 
received  on  entering  the  polling  place),  give  him  your 
marked  ballot,  and  observe  that  it  is  placed  in  the  proper 
box.  Then  give  the  inspector  the  unused  portion  of  the 
ballot,  and  that  completes  the  function  of  casting  your 
vote  on  primary  day. 

How  to  Vote  on  Election  Day 

There  will  be  held  two  elections  on  April  2,  1912: 

The  municipal  election,  which  is  conducted  by  the  use 
of  the  voting  machine;  and 

The  election  of  delegates  to  the  national  conventions, 
which  is  conducted  by  paper  ballots. 

On  entering  the  polling  place,  go  first  to  the  two  in- 
spectors, who  keep  the  check  and  poll  list.  They  will  check 
your  name  on  the  registry  list  and  hand  you  a  numbered 
slip  certifying  that  you  are  entitled  to  vote. 

Next,  you  go  to  the  ballot  clerks  and  receive  your  paper 
ballot  for  delegates  to  national  conventions.  This  ballot 
consists  of  as  many  sheets  as  there  are  parties  in  the  field. 

Go  into  one  of  the  little  stalls,  tear  from  the  ballot  the 
ticket  you  intend  to  vote,  and  mark  it  by  putting  a  cross  be- 
hind the  names  of  the  delegates  you  wish  to  vote  for. 

After  marking  your  ticket,  fold  it,  take  with  you  the 
unused  sheets  of  the  ballot  and  go  to  the  inspector  who  has 
charge  of  the  ballot  box  and  voting  machine. 

Hand  him  your  certificate  (which  you  received  on  en- 
tering the  booth)  showing  that  you  are  entitled  to  vote, 
give  him  your  marked  ballot  for  delegates,  see  that  it  is 
deposited  in  the  proper  ballot  box,  and  then  vote  on  the 
voting  machine  on  the  municipal  election.  This  completes 
the  function  of  voting  on  election  day. 

187 


Voters  Not  Registered — How  to  Vote 

If  your  name  is  not  registered  you  must  establish  your 
right  to  vote  hy  affidavit. 

Blanks  for  this  purpose  you  can  obtain  from  the  elec- 
tion inspectors  in  each  polling  place. 

The  affidavit  must  be  corroborated  by  two  freeholders 
living  in  the  same  precinct  where  you  offer  to  vote. 

No  freeholder  is  allowed  to  sign  more  than  five  affi- 
davits. 

The  affidavit  may  be  acknowledged  by  any  of  the  elec- 
tion inspectors  at  the  polling  place,  or  before  a  notary 
public. 

Any  registered  voter  who  shall  remove  from  one  pre- 
cinct to  another  between  the  last  registration  day  and  elec- 
tion day,  shall,  upon  presentation  of  affidavits  from  the 
inspectors  of  the  precinct  from  which  he  removes,  showing 
registration  in  such  precinct,  be  considered  a  resident  of  the 
precinct  to  which  he  has  moved,  and  shall  be  entitled  to 
vote  therein. 

After  complying  with  these  provisions  the  non-registered 
voter  can  vote  in  the  same  manner  as  a  registered  voter. 

After  this  We  Vote  in  the  School  Buildings 


Another  Step  in  Advance 

i88 


MODEL  STREET  CAR  FRANCHISE 

One  of  the  greatest  problems  confronting  the  admin- 
istration of  any  city  is  the  problem  of  transportation. 

This  problem  in  Milwaukee,  as  in  many  other  Amer- 
ican cities,  is  greately  com^plicated  by  the  existing  fran- 
chises, which  extend  for  many  years  to  come.  That  in 
1900  the  street  car  company  secured,  by  methods  noto- 
riously dark  and  dishonest,  a  franchise  that  bound  the 
city  hand  and  foot  for  m^ore  than  one-fourth  of  a  cen- 
tury. This  franchise  extends  until  1935.  It  is  clear, 
therefore,  that  the  handling  of  the  franchise  problem 
must  proceed  under  great  difficulties  and  limitations. 

To  this  most  interesting  and  intricate  and  vital 
problem  the  Socialists  addressed  themselves  at  once.  A 
careful  study  was  made  of  the  franchises  of  progres- 
sive ci|;ies  in  this  and  foreign  lands.  As  far  as  pos- 
sible, actual  copies  of  franchises  were  secured,  espe- 
cially from  the  European  countries. 

These  were  carefully  studied  and  analyzed  and  their 
provisions  modified  to  suit  the  local  situation.  Thus, 
after  weeks  and  months  of  work  of  this  kind,  the 
Social-Democrats  produced  a  franchise  which  they 
offered  as  a  sort  of  model.  This  franchise  was  pre- 
pared not  so  much  with  the  idea  that  it  was  to  be  put 
immediately  into  operation,  although  it  was  worked 
out  with  that  possibility  in  view.  A  company  was  at 
this  time  negotiating  for  a  franchise.  It  seemed  satis- 
fied with  most  of  the  provisions,  and,  though  it  was 
ultimately  rejected,  it  is  believed  that  the  reason  was 
not  that  the  franchise  was  impracticable  or  its  pro- 
visions impossible,  but  because  capitalists  outside,  prob- 
ably in  Wall  Street,  did  not  wish  to  be  a  party  to  this 
kind  of  an  arrangement.  There  was  not  enough  in  it 
for  them. 

So  long  as  there  is  the  slightest  chance  to  get  fran- 
chises for  nothing,  the  corporations  are  not  going  to 
pay  for  them.  So  long  as  the  people  can  be  kept  in 
ignorance  of  the  tremendous  value  of  these  franchises, 

189 


so  long  the  corporations  can  get  them  for  nothing. 

The  purpose,  then,  of  the  model  franchise  is  to 
teach  the  people  and  to  arouse  the  city  officials  of  this 
and  other  cities  to  the  fact  there  are  gold  mines  for 
them  in  their  franchises. 

One  single  deal  made  with  the  street  car  system  of 
this  city  by  the  big  corporations  netted  a  profit  of  over 
a  million  dollars  without  a  single  addition  or  improve- 
ment having  been  made.  This  merely  shows  what  tre- 
mendous values  there  are  in  the  street  transportation 
systems. 

Furthermore,  the  model  franchise  serves  another 
and  still  better  purpose.  It  points  out  the  solution  of 
the  transportation  problem.  It  works  out^in  detail  the 
method  by  which  the  people  of  this  city  may,  if  they 
will,  secure  the  complete  control  of  their  transportation 
system  within  the  next  twenty-five  years. 

And  finally,  it  offers  a  concrete,  constructive  plan 
for  the  municipalization  of  this,  the  most  important 
public  utility  of  the  city.  Some  of  the  provisions  of 
this  franchise  are  shown  in  the  following : 

Provisions  of  the  Model  Street  Car  Franchise 

Entire  road  passes  automatically  into  the  hands  of  the 
city  in  twenty  years  by  its  purchase  with  4  per  cent  mort- 
gage certificates,  and  the  leasing  of  the  line  to  the  company 
for  an  annual  sum  equal  to  one-twentieth  of  the  certificate 
issue  plus  the  average  cost  of  maintaining — to  be  used  to 
pay  off  the  certificate  issue.  Thus  in  twenty  years  the 
whole  certificate  issue  is  to  be  paid  off,  leaving  the  city  in 
possession  of  the  road  without  debts  or  incumbrances,  and 
paid  for  out  of  the  earnings  of  the  company,  without  any 
cost  to  the  city. 

All  police  regulations,  including  the  regulation  of  oper- 
ating and  of  nearly  all  of  the  equipping  of  cars  and  tracks 
to  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  city. 

Franchise  becomes  null  and  void  if  the  company  evades 
any  of  its  provisions. 

The  company  must  turn  into  the  city  treasury  10  per 
cent  of  its  gross  earnings  on  all  freight  and  intramural  pas- 
senger traffic. 

Interurban   lines   must   use   municipal   terminal   station, 

190 


and  pay  the  city  for  its  use  5  cents  for  each  passenger  car- 
ried in  or  out  of  the  city. 

The  franchise  is  not  exclusive,  and  the  city  has  the 
right  to  lease  tracks  and  to  run  cars  over  them  for  other 
companies  at  a  profit  to  itself,  the  profit  to  be  placed  in  the 
city  treasury. 

The  company  must  sprinkle  tracks  to  a  point  one  foot 
outside  the  rail,  at  its  own  expense,  or  sprinkle  the  whole 
street,  if  the  city  desires,  at  a  pro  rata  to  the  city. 

All  cars  must  be  licensed — the  license  not  transferable 
— and  the  city  may  withhold  licenses  to  old  or  unsafe  cars. 

All  employes  of  the  company  must  be  under  an  eight- 
hour  day  working  schedule. 

All  labor  disputes  must  be  submitted  to  a  board  of  ar- 
bitration within  two  weeks  after  the  trouble  starts. 

Tickets  and  transfers  are  to  be  interchanged  with  other 
electric  railroad  companies. 

One  or  more  transfers  must  be  granted  to  the  passenger 
as  he  pays  his  fare,  which  will  enable  him  to  be  transported 
to  any  place  over  the  shortest  route. 

Modern  equipment  must  be  installed  to  prevent  elec- 
trolysis. 

The  company  must  furnish  free  electricity  to  operate 
all  city  bridges,  and  furnish  free  all  connections. 

Trailers  are  prohibited  on  local  cars,  and  only  one 
trailer  is  allowed  on  interurban  cars. 

City  employes,  including  policemen,  firemen  and  mem- 
bers of  the  health  department,  are  to  be  transported  free. 

Revenues  to  Be  Derived  by  the  City 

The  city  to  derive  revenue  by  leasing  the  tracks  of  one 
company  and  releases  tracks  to  other  companies  at  an  ad- 
vanced rate. 

By  licensing  all  cars.  The  present  rate  is  $15  for  each 
car. 

Interurban  lines  must  use  the  municipal  terminal  sta- 
tion and  pay  5  cents  for  each  passenger  carried  in  or  out 
of  the  city. 

Ten  per  cent  of  the  gross  earnings  on  all  freight  and 
terminal  passenger  traffic  reverts  to  the  city. 

Savings  to  Be  Gained  to  the  City 

The  company  must  agree  to  remove  snow  from  street 
thrown  from  its  tracks,  which  the  city  did  up  to  last  No- 
vember. 

City  relieved  by  company  of  cleaning  snow  and  mud 
from  crossings  and  approaches  to  the  cars. 

Company  pays  for  entire  expense  of  parked  ways  on 
streets  traversed  by  its  lines. 

191 


Company  paves,  repairs  and  sprinkles  between  and  for 
one  foot  on  each  side  of  the  rails. 


CALGARY  MUNICIPAL 

San  Francisco  will  soon  have  a  street  railway  line 
owned  by  the  people  and  operated  by  the  people,  which 
is,  as  you  have  read,  a  ''dangerous  innovation," 

No  other  American  city  is  rushing  into  that  brand 
of  what  American  street  railway  monopolies  call  "so- 
cialism." But  Calgary,  the  largest  city  of  Alberta, 
and  Edmonton,  the  capital  of  Alberta,  have  already 
"rushed"  into  it — and  the  people  like  it. 

Yet  they  are  not  Socialists.  Even  the  most  con- 
servative business  men  of  Calgary  and  Edmonton  see 
nothing  alarming  in  municipal  ownership  of  street  rail- 
ways, water  and  electric  light  and  power  plants.  It 
seems  natural  to  them,  for  those  cities  have  never 
known  the  thrilling  joy  of  being  taxed  by  private  own- 
ers of  public  municipal  functions. 


The  American  monopolists  fire  rockets,  put  torpe- 
does on  the  track,  and  swing  red  lanterns  to  warn  us 
against  the  ' '  dangers ' '  of  public  ownership  of  public 
utilities.  But  in  Calgary  and  Edmonton  the  street 
railways,  water  plants  and  electric  light  and  power 
plants,  unlike  our  public  utility  corporations,  own  no 
mayors,  no  members  of  city  councils,  employ  no  politi- 
cal bosses,  play  no  tricks  in  politics,  hire  no  lawyers  to 
pollute  the  public  service,  have  no  secret  ownership  of 
newspapers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  people  of  the  two 
cities  thrive  and  are  happy.  They  get  good  service  at 
reasonable  rates,  and  the  employes  of  these  publicly 
owned  utilities  are  not  compelled  to  work  more  than 
nine  hours  a  day— and  are  otherwise  treated  like  real 
human  beings. 

But,  of  course,  the  Calgary  cars  are  rickety  and  the 
tracks  out  of  repair,  aren't  they?  No,  the  cars  are  just 

192 


as  good  as  the  best  I  have  recently  seen  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Cleveland,  Toledo,  Detroit,  St.  Louis, 
Louisville,  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  St.  Paul  or  Minneapo- 
lis; and,  compared  with  the  four-wheel  agitators  used 
in  Cincinnati,  they  are  as  a  morris  chair  to  a  bucking 
mule.  The  track  is  in  New  York  Central  shape.  There 
are  plenty  of  cars,  and  the  motormen  and  conductors 
are  careful  and  courteous. 

Calgary,  Canada— A  City  that  Owns  its 
Street  Car  System 


Municipal  Ownership  Pays  Well— The  Social-Democrats 
Fight  for  More 


It  is  a  maxim  of  street  railway  monopolists  that 
"public  ownership  of  street  railways  doesn't  pay," 
which  means,  when  the  sentence  is  completed,  that 
"public  ownership  of  street  railways  doesn't  pay  pri- 
vate monopolists." 


193 


That's  one  reason  the  people  of  Edmonton  and  Cal- 
gary own  their  street  car  lines.  They  seem  to  have 
some  prejudice  against  private  monopoly,  and  their  ex- 
perience with  public  ownership  shows  that  it  does  pay, 
not  only  in  money,  but  in  morals.  Their  public  utilities 
have  never  spent  a  dollar  to  corrupt  municipal  politics. 

You  may  not  believe  it,  but  Calgary  and  Edmonton 
don't  know  what  it  means  to  have  a  street  car  company 
delegate  in  a  municipal  convention  or  meeting  of  any 
kind — which  shows  how  easily  people  can  get  along 
without  the  actual  necessaries  of  life  if  they  have  never 
had  them. 

Calgary  has  40,000  people.  Its  first  street  car  was 
run  July  1,  1909,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  six  months 
the  system  shows  a  surplus  of  $6,944.08;  not  only 
showed  it,  but  had  it. 

In  the  next  twelve  months,  which  ended  December 
31,  1910,  the  net  surplus  was  $33,315.28,  after  the  mu- 
nicipal government  had  put  away  out  of  the  earnings  a 
reserve  of  $9,370.55,  paid  to  the  general  fund  $22,500, 
and  put  into  a  contingent  fund  to  cover  depreciation 
of  plant,  etc.,  $10,634.07.  So  you  see  how  the  people 
of  Calgary  are  squandering  money  on  a  "fad." 

Yet  when  I  asked  a  conservative  business  man  in 
Calgary  if  there  were  any  sentiment  in  favor  of  private 
ownership  of  the  street  car  system — of  selling  it  to  a 
private  corporation— he  replied:  ''Why,  no  one  here 
would  suggest  such  a  thing.  We  are  being  gouged  by 
private  ownership  of  the  Canadian  Pacific,  and  that's 
enough."— [The  'Tuhlic/'  March  3,  1911.'] 

BETTER  HOMES  FOR  THE  PEOPLE 

City  Planning  the  Only  Way 

At  the  very  foundation  of  all  effective  work  for  the 
improvement  of  housing  conditions  are  three  factors  that 
must  be  carefully  considered,  namely,  the  income,  or  wages 
of  the  people,  the  hours  of  labor  and  the  transportation 
facilities. 

194 


The  condition  of  wages  and  of  hours  of  labor  is  directly 
responsible  for  the  housing  conditions  of  the  people.  It  is 
absolutely  fundamental.  Any  attempted  solution  of  these 
problems  apart  from  these  matters  is  useless  and  futile. 

Importance  of  Rapid  Transit 

Next  to  the  problem  of  wages  and  hours  is  the  matter 
of  proper  means  of  transportation, — its  rapidity,  its  safety, 
and  the  cost  of  service. 

It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  30,000  wage- 
earners  in  Milwaukee  consume  two  hours  of  every  twenty- 
four  in  getting  to  and  from  their  work.  Their  time  is 
worth  at  least  20  cents  an  hour,  netting  them  a  loss  of 
$1,200  a  day.  With  proper  arrangement  of  our  streets  and 
transportation  facilities,  and  with  platting  so  arranged  that 
resident  areas  would  be  convenient  to  the  manufacturing 
districts,  at  least  three-fourths  of  this  time  could  be  saved 
to  the  wage-worker  either  in  money,  or  in  time;  time  that 
he  might  spend  at  home,  with  his  friends,  in  his  garden, 
or  with  his  books.  Such  improvement  would  tend  to  a  bet- 
ter and  higher  grade  of  citizenship  immediately. 

Streets  Improperly  Arranged  and  Inadequate 

Even  the  arrangement  of  the  streets  and  travel  ways 
has  a  direct  bearing  upon  the  housing  conditions.  Our 
streets  as  at  present  arranged  are  deplorably  inadequate, 
although  they  are  costing  us  about  one-third  more  than  an 
adequate  system  should  cost. 

After  careful  consideration  our  City  Planning  Commis- 
sion has  submitted  plans  for  a  system  of  arterial  highways 
which  will  remedy  this  and  the  means  for  spreading  out 
residence  areas. 

Present  conditions  make  a  demand  for  a  two-fold  service 
upon  our  streets, — the  one  for  traffic,  the  other  such  as  is 
required  in  the  residence  districts.  Business  economy  and 
physicaJl,  personal,  welfare,  make  it  a  necessity  to  create 
these  two  distinct  kinds  of  streets.  Those  for  traffic  are 
designated  as  parked  ways,  an  illustration  of  which  is  given 
herewith, — ample,  wide  and  comfortable  for  the  daily  ebb 
and  flow,  the  inward  and  outward  movement  of  the  city's 
tide  of  travel.  The  street  car  traffic  on  them  will  be  dust- 
less,  rapid  and  safe. 

The  residence  streets  will  branch  from  these  and  will 
be  used  for  local  service  only.  For  that  reason  the  curb- 
ings  may  be  moved  closer  together,  increasing  the  grass 
area  and  reducing  the  pavement  of  duty  surface  many  thou- 
sands of  yards.  The  comfort  and  saving  in  expense  for 
maintaining  the  streets  in  residence  areas  will  be  far  more 
than  enough  to  copgtruct  the  parked  ways. 

^. J  195 


It  is  the  determination  of  the  present  administration  to 
execute  these  plans  as  submitted  by  the  City  Planning  Com- 
mission, recognizing  the  fact  that  it  is  the  foundation  on 
which  so  many  urgent  reforms  are  dependent.  For  this 
reason  special  legislation  was  undertaken  and  accomplished 
last  June.  And  the  new  budget  adopted  in  January  pro- 
vided the  necessary  means  for  this  commission  to  organize 
and  inaugurate  the  work  of  construction,  whereby  these 
parked  ways  may  now  gradually  materialize.  They  will 
admit  interurban  cars  as  well  as  local  passenger  service, 
and  will  open  many  thousands  of  acres  for  home  building. 

The  First  Cross  Town  Parked  Way 

The  initial  step  in  this  plan  will  be  to  construct  a 
parked  way,  "cross  town  line,"  running  straight  from  Okla- 
homa Avenue  at  the  south  to  the  Hopkins  Road  at  the 
north.  Eventually  these  will  be  extended  by  the  county 
to  North  Milwaukee  on  the  north,  and  to  Cudahy  and  South 
Milwaukee  on  the  south.  This  will  be  well  under  way  this 
summer,  and  fully  completed  within  two  years,  and  will  be 
the  greatest  improvement  ever  made  in  this  city  with  one 
exception,  the  building  of  the  water  works  system. 

This  section  of  the  system  of  arterial  highways  has  been 
selected  for  the  first  of  construction,  because  it  will  relieve 
a  greater  number  of  wageworkers  than  any  other  one  sec- 
tion, although  none  of  them  will  fully  demonstrate  their 
utility  until  the  system  is  complete.  The  building  of  the 
Janesville  Road  already  begun  by  the  county,  is  a  part  of 
this  system  and  is  to  convert  the  whole  of  the  Root  River 
Valley  into  a  garden  home  territory.  In  that  section  there 
is  a  tract  of  land  about  4,000  acres  which  the  city  should 
own  and  which  might  be  planted  for  fruit.  This  land  should 
be  fertilized  by  the  utilization  of  the  city  sewerage,  the  fruit 
brought  to  the  people  at  cost  through  the  instrumentality  of 
municipal  markets.  For  a  full  description  of  this  system 
of  arterial  highways  we  refer  to  the  booklet  published  by 
the  City  Planning  Commission  of  which  thousands  of  copies 
were  distributed  at  the  Budget  Exhibit  last  November. 

Neighborhood  Centers  a  Part  of  the  Plan 

In  connection  with  this  system  of  aterial  highways  a 
number  of  neighborhood  centers  are  being  planned  and  lo- 
cated. These  centers — besides  providing  natatoria  facili- 
ties, library,  reading  rooms,  game  rooms,  indoor  and  out- 
door gymnasium,  ball  ground,  play  grounds  for  children, 
will  each  have  a  local  municipal  market,  and  an  electric  car 
depot. 

196 


One  of  these  centers  is  to  be  partially  completed  this 
coming  summer  at  Lapham  Park.  The  second  one  slated 
for  completion  is  on  Eleventh  Avenue  at  the  intersection  of 
Greenfield  Avenue. 

These  projected  neighborhood  centers  will  provide  nor- 
mal and  wholesome  means  for  social  intercourse,  both  for 
young  and  old,  a  natural  necessity  that  has  been  crowded 
out  of  existence  by  the  now  prevailing  congested  conditions. 
They  will  be  the  means  of  putting  out  of  business  a  large 
percentage  of  the  disreputable  places  which  are  patronized 
simply  because  nothing  better  is  put  within  reach  of  the 
victims,  their  patrons. 

A  full  description  of  these  neighborhood  centers  will 
also~  be  found  in  the  booklet  issued  by  the  City  Planning 
Commission  which  has  already  been  referred  to. 

Drainage,  Water  and  Sewerage 

There  is  another  group  of  public  problems  that  bear 
upon  the  problem  of  housing  and  public  health.  These  are 
the  drainage  of  land  both  surface  and  below,  including  the 
natural  flow  of  rivers  and  creeks  as  well  as  the  artificial 
means  of  distributing  water  and  disposing  of  the  sewerage. 
A  comprehensive  plan  with  reference  to  the  drainage  of 
land,  etc.,  mentioned  above — this  is  carefully  set  forth  in  a 
third  report  of  the  City  Planning  Commission  as  well  as  the 
report  of  the  Sewerage  Commission,  which  should  be  read 
by  every  voter. 

But  we  wish  here  to  emphasize  the  following  system  for 
financing  the  project: 

We  procure  our  water  from  the  lake  and  conduct  it  to 
buildings  by  pipes.  But  all  this  water,  after  being  used  for 
various  purposes,  must  be  properly  disposed  of.  This  dis- 
position we  have  but  partially  provided  for.  The  water  in 
the  water  pipes  is  forced  under  pressure,  as  it  is  continually 
on  the  rise  after  it  leaves  the  pump  at  North  Point  until 
we  use  it.  Then  it  is  turned  into  what  we  call  the  sewer- 
age system  and  runs  down  hill  without  the  aid  of  any  force 
pump.  The  Water  Department  and  Sewer  Department  are 
virtually  one  and  the  same  system.  One  is  the  receiving 
and  the  other  the  discharging  part  of  our  water  system. 
Therefore  it  is  an  error  to  set  apart  that  portion  from  which 
no  income  has  been  derived  (the  sewerage  system)  for  the 
taxpayers'  burden,  leaving  the  Water  Department  to  yield 
such  a  profit  that  the  rates  are  so  low  that  our  water  bills 
are  alniost  a  joke,  as  compared  with  what  private  corpora- 
tions usually  charge. 

We  should  put  these  two  systems  together,  and  in  order 

197 


A  Parked  Way  in  Winnipeg 


Such  as  the  Social-Democrats  Plan  for  Milwaukee 

to  carry  out  the  plans  on  a  sanitary  basis,  this  department 
can  be  successfully  financed  independent  of  the  general  tax 
levy  by  issuing  mortgage  certificates  on  the  water  plant, 
the  same  as  is  provided  for  the  terminal  depot.  In  this  way 
the  whole  undertaking  will  scarcely  be  felt  and  the  burden 
will  be  entirely  equitable  because  those  who  use  the  most 
water  create  the  most  sewerage. 

The  people  should  demand  this  change  of  management, 
and  object  to  issuing  any  more  sewerage  bonds,  which  are 
to  be  redeemed  by  money  taken  from  the  general  tax  levy 
at  a  cost  of  $1.40  for  every  dollar  that  goes  into  the  sewers. 

The  Plan  a  Source  of  Income 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  improvements  of  such  great 
importance  and  so  essential  to  the  general  welfare  of  the 
whole  city,  should  be  jeopardized  by  interests  desiring  to 
create  prejudice  for  political  reasons.  The  cry  has  been 
raised  that  these  plans  would  run  the  city  hopelessly  in  debt, 
and  burden  the  taxpayer  beyond  endurance. 

Now  it  is  well  known  that  improvements  of  this  nature 
raise  the  value  of  property  immediately.  And  the  legisla- 
tion necessary  for  the  city  to  acquire  the  benefit  of  this 
rise  in  value  has  now  been  secured.  The  Land  Commission 
is  given  the  power  of  what  is  called  "excess  condemnation," 

198 


meaning  that  they  may  condemn  land  for  a  distance  on 
either  side  of  a  projected  parked  way  after  which  they  may 
rent  or  sell  off  at  the  increased  price,  all  that  is  not  re- 
quired for  the  roadway.  In  this  way  the  profits  will  fully 
cover  the  cost  and  expense  of  the  parked  way.  And  with 
the  exception  of  the  $10,000  appropriated  by  the  Common 
Council  to  start  the  work,  it  is  calculated  that  this  com- 
mission can  carry  on  the  work  of  construction  year  after 
year,  without  any  additional  drafts  being  made  on  the  city 
treasury. 

This  is  a  very  important  feature  of  our  undertakings, 
and  should  be  understood.  For  those  who  wish  to  go  into 
the  matter  in  detail,  copies  of  the  law  will  be  furnished  on 
application. 

Coininunity  Values 

Another  possible  source  of  revenue  for  the  city  is  its 
community  values. 

The  most  important  community  value  is  that  which  ac- 
crues to  land.  Land  outside  of  Milwaukee  for  agriculture 
purposes  is  worth  $400  an  acre,  eight  lots  to  an  acre,  and 
equals  $5  0  a  lot.  As  you  enter  the  city  prices  are  higher, 
increasing  as  you  get  toward  the  center,  where  $100,000  a 
lot  is  not  an  unusual  price.  That  addition  of  $99,950  to 
the  lot  is  measured  by  the  power  of  its  owner  to  exploit  the 
people  who  are  obliged  to  use  it.  That  is  the  community 
value — a  value  supported  by  the  community.  The  owner 
of  this  lot  has  simply  held  the  deed  as  he  would  hold  a  lot- 
tery ticket.  That  value  was  created  by  the  city.  It  be- 
longs to  the  city.  It  amounts  to  many  millions  of  dollars 
and  the  city  should  receive  the  income  for  its  community 
benefit. 

The  community  value  of  our  streets  is  much.  Yet  we 
permit  the  use  of  them  for  street  cars  free  of  charge.  The 
same  is  true  of  gas,  electricity,  telephone,  etc.  In  many 
ways  community  values  are  appropriated  as  personal  in- 
comes. We  are  giving  something  for  nothing,  which  is  the 
fundamental  reason  for  considering  gambling  a  crime. 

The  gradual  stopping  of  this  community  value  leakage, 
which  requires  careful  and  determined  work  step  by  step, 
is  what  will  rid  Milwaukee  of  its  tax  burden.  And  we  can 
eliminate  our  general  tax  just  as  fast  as  we  secure  to  the 
city  these  community  values,  which  we  are  now  in  position 
to  do  to  a  limited  extent  in  the  construction  and  mainten- 
ance of  these  projected  parked  ways. 

199 


THE  LIE  ABOUT  SOCIALISM  AND  THE  SOCIAL- 
ISTS THAT  NO  LONGER  FRIGHTENS  THE 
PEOPLE 

What  David  Rose  Used  to  Say  and  What  Some  Still 
Say  About  Socialism. 

[Taken  from  a  leaflet  distributed  by  the  Democrats 
in  the  Municipal  Campaign— Spring  of  1908— reprinted 
and  widely  circulated.] 

''A  few  years  ago  there  was  sowed  in  the  fertile  soil 
of  ignorance,  superstition  and  prejudice  a  dangerous 
seed  which  took  life  and  is  bringing  forth  its  fruits. 
Secretly,  insidiously,  it  has  gathered  strength  and  vol- 
ume until  today  it  confronts  us  as  a  menace. 

"In  only  a  few  places  has  Socialism  flourished;  but 
unfortunately  Milwaukee  is  one  of  those  stricken 
places.  Today  the  adherents  of  the  creed  openly  boast 
that  if  they  cannot  acquire  their  aims  by  peaceful 
means,  that  they  will  reach  them  by  force.  Private 
character  is  of  no  consequence  to  them ;  reputation  is  a 
toy  to  be  trifled  with;  material  interests  have  no  sacred 
right,  and  the  damnable  spirit  is  now  reaching  its  cul- 
mination in  anarchy. 

''It  was  this  same  spirit,  wickedly  intensified,  that 
sent  its  red-handed  emissary  into  the  peaceful  home  of 
Chief  Shippy  of  Chicago  to  take  the  lives  of  his  whole 
family.  It  was  this  same  spirit,  vicious,  cruel,  das- 
tardly, that  crept  into  the  sanctity  of  the  consecrated 
house  of  worship  at  Denver,  crept  in  the  garb  of  Chris- 
tianity to  the  altar  rail,  there  to  receive  the  Holy  Sac- 
rament, and  then  to  take  the  life  of  the  man  ordained 
by  God  as  one  of  his  ministers.  It  was  this  same  spirit, 
grown  from  the  wicked  to  the  demoniacal,  that  struck 
down  a  president  of  the  United  States,  and  you  men 
professing  courage,  intelligence  and  patriotism  look 
upon  this  thing  as  a  boy  upon  a  laughing  girl  and  heed 
it  not  until  its  destruction  has  been  wrought.  Awake, 
you  men  of  Milwaukee,  and  thrust  out  this  thing  from 
amongst  you." 

200 


WHY  THE  WORKING  CLASS  FAVORS  PUBLIC 
OWNERSHIP 

The  following  table,  taken  from  the  Report  of  the 
Civic  Federation,  Part  I.  Volume  I,  p.  280,  shows  the 
sharp  contrast  between  public  and  private  employ : 

Wages  and  Hours  of  Labor  on  Municipal  and  Private 
Street  Railways  in  England 

Municipalities.  Hours     Maximum  pay 

Public  Ownership.  per  week        per  week. 

Glasgow 54  $7.44 

Manchester 54  7.44 

Liverpool 60  7.50 

London  C.  C 60  9.00 

Municipal   average 57  $7.84 

Companies. 

Private  Ownership. 

London  United 70  $9.24 

Dublin  United 70  6.78 

Norwich 70  6.72 

Bristol 70  6.12 

Company  average 70  $7.20 

In  other  words,  those  who  work  for  the  people  work 
13  hours  less  and  get  64  cents  more  every  week  than 
those  who  work  for  the  private  companies. — [From  ''The 
Constructive  Program  of  Socialism/^  hy  Carl  D.  Thomp- 
son.'] 

WHY    WE    FAVOR    DIRECT    EMPLOYMENT    IN- 
STEAD OF  THE  CONTRACT  SYSTEM 

Wilmington,  Del.,  adopted  direct  employment, 
raised  wages  from  $1.25  to  $1.50  and  $2.25  to  $2.50,  and 
employed  American  labor.  London,  England,  estab- 
lished trade  union  rates  and  where  no  union  existed 
established  a  minimum  higher  than  ordinary. 

Woburn,  Mass.,  where  private  contractors  had  paid 

201 


$1.50  for  ten  hours,  the  city  paid  $1.75  for  nine  hours 
and  employed  resident  labor.  In  Denver,  Colo.,  the 
wages  were  40  per  cent  higher  to  the  city  employes 
than  prevailing  rates.  In  London  private  employers 
paid  $1.75  for  ten  hours,  the  city  $1.75  to  $2  for  eig;ht 
hours.  A  Massachusetts  report  upon  direct  employ- 
ment says  that  practically  all  cities  pay  better  than 
private  contractors  and  wages  range  from  25  to  40  per 
cent  higher.  In  Boston,  where  the  private  wages  were 
$1.25  for  ten  hours,  the  city  paid  $2  for  nine  hours.— 

DOOLEY  ON  CAPITAL  AND  LABOR 

"It  was  different  whin  I  was  a  young  man,  Hin- 
nissy.  Capital  was  like  a  father  to  labor,  givin'  it  its 
boord  an'  login's.  In  thim  golden  days  a  wurrukin' 
man  was  an  honest  artisan.  That's  what  he  was  proud 
to  be  called.  Th'  week  before  illiction  he  had  his 
pitcher  in  th'  funny  papers.  He  had  his  ar-rm  ar-round 
capital— a  rosy,  binivolent  ol'  guy  with  a  plug  hat  and 
eyeglasses.  They  was  goin'  to  th'  polls  together  to 
vote  for  simple  ol'  capital.  In  return  f'r  fidelity  he 
got  a  turkey  ivry  year.  At  Chris 'mas  time,  capital 
gathered  his  happy  fam'ly  around  him,  an'  in  th'  pris- 
ince  iv  the  ladies  iv  th'  neighborhood  give  thim  a  short 
oration.  'Me  brave  lads,'  says  he,  'we've  had  a  good 
year.  (Cheers.)  I  have  made  a  millyon  dollars.  (Sen- 
sation.) Ye  have  done  so  well  that  we  don't  need  so 
many.  (Long  and  continyous  cheerin'.)  Those  who 
can  do  two  men's  wurruk  will  remain,  an'  if  possible, 
do  four.  The  other  faithful  sarvints,'  he  says,  'can 
come  back  in  the  spring,'  he  says,  'if  alive,'  he  says. 
An'  the  bold  artysans  tossed  their  paper  caps  in  th'  air 
an'  give  three  cheers  f'r  capital.  They  wurruked  till 
ol'  age  crept  on  thim,  an'  thin  retired  to  live  on  th' 
wish  bones  and  kind  wurruds  they  had  accumulated." 

202 


A  Municipal  Anti-Tuberculosis   Campaign^ 

The  assumption  of  the  responsibility  of  the  present 
anti-tuberculosis  campaign  on  a  large  scale  in  Mil- 
waukee by  the  municipality  is  the  great  event  of  the 
year  in  this  work.  It  is  the  result  of  months  and 
years  of  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Wisconsin  Anti- 
Tuberculosis  Association  and  the  organizations 
directly  in  charge  of  relief  work  for  consumptives  and 
the  prompt  recognition  on  the  part  of  the  city  offi- 
cials that  tuberculosis  is  a  community  problem. 

The  assumption  of  this  community  responsibility 
was  culminated  by  the  gift  to  the  city  of  the  Blue 
Mound  Sanatorium  by  the  philanthropic  association 
which  owned  it.  In  April,  1911,  the  Common  Council 
authorized  the  appointment  by  the  Mayor  of  a  "Com- 
mission on  Tuberculosis,"  to  consist  of  five  citizens 
interested  in  the  work,  who  were  to  ''aid  in  the  study 
of  the  cause  and  prevention  of  the  disease,  to  co- 
operate with  and  assist  all  organizations  that  were 
working  upon  this  problem  in  the  city,  to  carry  on 
a  campaign  of  education  on  the  causes,  prevention  and 
cure  of  this  evil  and  to  aid  and  act  in  an  auxiliary 
and  advisory  capacity  to  the  city  authorities."  This 
was  in  April,  1911. 

Thus  the  present  administration  has  made  it  pos- 
sible for  a  comprehensive  plan  for  anti-tuberculosis 
work  to  be  laid  out  and  put  into  operation,  bringing 
into  co-operation  the  various  forces  working  in  that 
direction. 

Telegram  sent  from  the  Milwaukee  Evening 
Wisconsin  to  the  Berkely  (Cal.)  Gazette,  and 
published  there. 

"Milwaukee,  March  29 — [Special  to  the 
Gazette] — Milwaukee  has  an  honest  adminis- 
tration. This,  in  brief,  sums  up  the  political 
situation  in  Milwaukee  city  and  county  under 
Socialists'  regime.  Whatever  criticism  may  be 
directed  at  the  administration,  the  impartial 
ones  concede  that  its  officials  are  honest  and 
conscientious. 

203 


"During  the  last  year  the  Socialists  have  di- 
rected many  public  improvements,  weeded  out 
inefficient  city  employes  and  raised  the  salaries 
of  those  who  are  competent.  The  passing  of  a 
resolution  by  the  common  council  to  purchase  a 
million-dollar  park  along  the  river  has  brought 
forth  criticism,  but  business  men  agree  that  in 
twenty  years  this  property  will  have  doubled  in 
value.  There  are  at  present  between  12,000 
and  1.5,000  unemployed  in  Milwaukee,  but  other 
manufacturing  centers  report  a  business  depres- 
sion, which  may  account  for  factories  running 
on  half  time  here. 

"The  return  of  county  fees  collected  by  So- 
cialist officials  to  the  county  treasury  has 
brought   forth   commendation   from   economists. 

"This  was  never  done  before  in  the  history 
of  the  county.  Attempts  have  been  made  to 
solve  the  social  evil  problems,  and  advances 
have  been  made  in  the  past  year  by  strict  regu- 
lation of  saloons  and  dance  halls." 


Free  Employment  Bureau 


They  Found  Jobs  for  1,600  in  January,  1912 
204 


WHY  TRADES  UNIONISTS  FAVOR  PUBLIC 
OWNERSHIP 

Accident  insurance,  sick  benefits  and  old-age  pen- 
sions are  almost  always  given  public  employes. 

The  pensioning  of  our  United  States  soldiers  is  the 
most  familiar  illustration.  But  in  Germany  this  benefit 
is  extended  to  the  employes  of  the  government-owned 
railroads,  and  indeed  to  practically  the  whole  wage- 
earning  class.  There  are  13,196,000  workingmen  who 
have  old-age  pensions,  10,319,564  have  sick  benefits,  and 
17,366,000  accident  insurance.  The  amount  is  so  small 
as  to  be  niggardly,  but  the  principle  is  established. 

On  the  public  railways  of  New  Zealand  there  are 
old-age  pensions  for  the  employes,  relief  funds  in  case 
of  sickness,  aid  for  the  families  in  case  of  accident,  and 
the  retirement  funds  (Story  of  New  Zealand,  p.  389). 

Trondhjem,  Norway,  owns  its  own  telephone  system 
and  pensions  its  employes  when  they  grow  old.  The 
same  is  true  in  Liverpool  and  Birmingham. 

The  Boston  police  are  retired  after  twenty  years  of 
service  and  are  retired  on  half  pay  after  they  are  65 
years  of  age.  The  employes  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  get 
two  weeks'  vacation  on  full  pay  each  year,  two  suits  of 
uniforms,  rubber  coats  and  gloves.  They  also  are  fur- 
nished medical  attendance  and  half  pay  while  disabled 
in  case  of  accident. 

And  these  advantages  are  secured  to  labor  in  addi- 
tion to  the  increased  wages,  so  that  they  work  as  a 
general  improvement. 

It  is  facts  like  these  that  have  made  the  trades  union 
movement  in  England  unanimous  in  demanding  the  ex- 
tension of  municipal  ownership.  The  congress  in  1905 
adopted,  without  debate,  a  resolution  urging  its  parlia- 
mentary committee  to  ''bring  all  possible  pressure  to 
bear  upon  the  members  of  parliament  and  other  public 
representatives,  so  that  public  bodies  may  be  empow- 
ered to  enter  into  and  carry  on  any  work  or  business 
in.  behalf  of  the  people,  so  as  to  steady  the  volume  of 

205 


trade  and  provide  work  at  fair  rates  for  those  who 
would  otherwise  be  idle."  (Civic  Federation  Report, 
Part  II,  Vol.  II,  p.  58.)  With  the  working  classes  of 
England  the  question  of  the  effect  of  municipal  owner- 
ship upon  labor  conditions  is  beyond  dispute. — [From  ''The 
Constructive  Program  of  Socialism/'  by  Carl  D.  Thom,p- 
son.} 

Milwaukee  Municipal  Library 


The  Socialists  believe  that  Knowledge  is  Power.  Here 
they  are  gathering  the  latest  information  on^Municipal 
Problems  from  the  Four  Corners  of  the  World. 


"The  Socialist  administration  is  the  most  honest 
administration  ever  enjoyed  by  the  city  of  Milwaukee. 
It  is  absolutely  without  graft.  The  officers  are  hard 
working,  upright,  men.** — Frederick  Morehouse,  quoted 
by  John  M.  Maxwell  in  Indianapolis  Star. 

206 


A  Busy  Comtnon  Council 

A  Record  of  the  Greatest  Energy  and  Activity  in  the 
History  of  Milwaukee 


The  f»  blowing  list  of  measures,  introduced  in  the  Common 
Council  covers  only  a  part  of  the  activities  of  the  present  Social- 
Democratic  administration.  It  givesjan^idea  of  the  wide  range 
of  activity,  the  varied  lines  of  efif ort^ut /orth  by  the  Common 
Council  in  behalf  of  the  people  of  the  city : — 

To  merge  office  of  water  registrar  with  city  treasurer's 
office. 

To  engage  John  R.  Commons,  et  al,  to  ascertain  cost  of 
supplying  city  water  to  consumers. 

Resolution  adopted  by  Federated  Trades  Council  relative 
to  problems  of  unemployed  labor. 

Resolution  to  erect  bath  houses  at  foot  of  Calumet  street. 

Relative  to  concrete  revetments  along  shore  line  from  Russell 
avenue  to  Nock  street,  to  afford  protection  against  erosion. 

Relative  to  popular  concerts  in  Auditorium  building. 

Resolution  to  combine  Fire  and  Police  Alarm  Systems. 

Relative  to  purchase  certain  park  property.  Fifth  Ward. 

To  empower  city  to  erect  model  dwellings,  etc. 

To  provide  for  special  tax,  to  fill  in  submerged  land  from 
Mason  street  to  Harbor  entrance,  and  from  Russell  avenue, 
south  to  city  limits. 

To  let  contract  for  public  bath  house  in  South  Shore  Park. 

Resolution  to  adopt  Chap.  297,  laws  of  1907,  providing  for 
one  Commissioner  of  Board  of  Public  Works. 

Relative  to  use  of  school  halls  for  public  dances. 

Relative  to  system  of  small  parks  and  breathing  spots  in 
congested  districts. 

Relative  to  establishing  of  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 

Resolution  requiring  lifting  jacks  in  street  cars. 

Resolution  requiring  better  cleaning  of  cars. 

Resolution  requiring  better  ventilating  of  cars. 

Resolution  requiring  use  of  air  brakes  for  cars. 

Resolution  making  use  of  flattened  wheels  unlawful. 

Resolution  to  investigate  and  remedy  shortage  of  seats 
during  rush  hours. 

To  fix  minimum  wage  for  workingmen. 

Requiring  autos  to  stop,  when  passing  cars  letting  off 
passengers. 

To  establish  four  municipal  hospitals. 

To  enable f city  to  establish  such  new  enterprises  as  are 
approved  by  voters. 

To  enable  city  to  take  over  and  operate  public  utilities,  etc. 

To  purchase  certain  park  lands  on  upper  Milwaukee  river. 

207 


To  employ  labor  by  shifts,  to  reduce  number  of  unemployed. 

To  consult  with  county  board,  Federated  Trades  Council, 
and  Merchants  and  Manufacturers'  Ass'n.  for  procuring  work 
for  unemployed. 

To  create  division  of  Child  Welfare  to  reduce  infant  mortality. 

To  regulate  erection  and  maintenance  of  stables  for  domestic 
animals. 

ResolutionJ^authorizing  free  distribution  of  anti-tetanic 
serum. 

Resolution  authorizing  free  distribution  of  anti-meningitis 
serum. 

Relative  to  uniforms  of  firemen,  policemen,  mail  carriers,  etc. 

Relative  to  rendering  of  dead  animals. 

Relative  to  increase  of  number  of  sanitary  police,  etc. 

Relative  to  increase  of  number  of  milk  inspectors. 

Relative  to  taking  over  of  anti-tuberculosis  agencies  by  city. 

To  permit  "Social  Workers"  to  erect  fresh-air  cottages. 

Communication  relative  to  license  fee  for  street  railways. 

Resolution  instructing,  to  recover  from  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L,  Co., 
under  bond  in  street  sprinkling  case. 

Relative  to  site  for  repair  shop  of  fire  boat  and  dockage  for 
fire  boat. 

To  protect  health  of  school  children. 

Ordinance  relative  to  construction  of  elevators. 

Fixing  hours  of  work  of  city  laborers   and  mechanics. 

Resolution  to  fix  scale  of  wages  of  mechanics  employed  by 
city. 

To  employ  electrical  and  mechanical  engineer  to  assist  in 
preparing  plans  for  Municipal  Electric  Light  Plant. 

To  erect  engine  house,  Twentieth  Ward. 

Requiring  cleaning,  disinfecting  and  inspecting  of  street  cars. 

To  provide  for  half  holidays  on  election  days. 

Relative  to  healthful  control  of  atmosphere  in  factories,  etc. 

Relative  to  public  bath  and  library  in  Hull  tract,  Fourteenth 
Ward. 

Providing  for  better  fire  protection  in  annexed  territory. 

Providing  for  imprisonment  for  violating  speed  law  by   autos. 

To  advertise  for  fire  engine  house,  Fourteenth  Ward. 

To  lay  underground,  wires  of  Western  Union  on  Greenfield 
avenue. 

To  regulate  weighing  of  ice. 

Relative  to  removal  of  snow  by  street  railway  companies. 

Relative  to  examining  and  licensing  steam  engineers. 

Requiring  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L.  Co.,  to  widen  Western  avenue 
from  North^avenue^to  Meinecke  avenue. 

Relative  to  establishing  municipal  coal  and  wood  yard. 

Relative  to  lighting  of  half  in  tenement  houses,  etc. 

To  declare  nuisances  various  old  buildings  near  Second  and 
Wells*streets,^FourthjWard. 

Relative  to  existence  of  typhoid  fever  in  epidemic  form. 

208 


To  require  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L.  Co.,  to  install  overhead  wires 
for  return  current  to  prevent  electrolysis. 

To  provide  annually  $10,000  for  concerts. 

Requiring  heads  of  departments  to  furnish  inventory  of  city 
property. 

To  provide  for  city  forestry  department. 

Ordinance  to  create  office  of  electrical  inspector,  etc. 

Directing  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L,  Co.,  to  extend  tracks  on  Eleventh 
avenue. 

To  amend  ordinance  providing  for  licensing  of  streetcars. 

Relative  to  Home  Rule  for  City  of  Milwaukee. 

Relative  to  employment  of  union  labor  in  reconstructing 
Sixteenth  street  viaduct. 

Franchise  of  Milwaukee- Western  Electric  Railway  Company. 

Relative  to  location  of  Isolation  Hospital. 

To  use  "Kern"  residence  for  children's  isolation  hospital. 

Resolution  providing  for  popular  band  concerts  in  Auditor- 
ium building. 

To  protect  street  car  motormen  against  cold  weather. 

To  cause  vessels  to  be  charged  for  wharf  privileges. 

To  establish  municipal  lodging  house. 

To  hold  elections  in  public  school  buildings. 

Ordinance  creating  Department  of  Public  Recreation. 

Relative  to  better  street  car  service  on  Eleventh  avenue, 
south  of  National  avenue. 

Resolution  endorsing  bill  958  A,  relative  to  maximum 
charge  of  fifty  cents  for  gas. 

To  prevent  use  of  city  wharves  by  private  parties. 

Resolution  authorizing  leasing  of  city  wharves. 

To  acquire  certain  block  for  park  purposes. 

To  deed  land  to  government  for  site  for  new  lighthouse. 

To  place  street  signs  on  corners  of  Jones  Island. 

To  replace  outlet  of  sewerage  pumping  station  on  Jones 
Island  by  concrete  construction. 

To  purchase  land,   for  park  purposes.   Fifth  Ward. 

To  permit  city  to  establish  lavatories,  etc. 

Relative  to  guard  rails  on  scows. 

To  erect  comfort  station  near  First  avenue  viaduct. 

To  authorize  city  to  lease  and  exchange  land,  etc. 

To  authorize  city  to  do  plumbing,  etc. 

Relative  to  acquiring  land  for  terminal  station. 

To  submit  establishment  of  municipal  electric  light  plant 
to  popular  vote. 

Relative  to  licenses  for  street  railways. 

To  provide  for  initiative,  referendum  and  recall. 

To  issue  $100,000  electric  light  and  power  plant  bonds. 

Requesting  information  as  to  city's  rights  for  compensation 
from  parties  using  space  beneath  Sixteenth  street  viaduct. 

To  create  office  and  fix  salary  of  Superintendent  of  Pur- 
chases. 

209 


To  engage  special  assistance  to  establish  scientific  meth®d 
of  assessment  of  real  estate,  etc. 

To  purchase  asphalt  repair  plant. 

Resolution  authorizing  doing  of  street  work  without  formal 
contract  if  petitioned  for  by  majority  of  abutting  property 
owners. 

To  prohibit  certain  persons  (females,  etc.)  to  engage  in  the 
sale  of  intoxicants. 

Relative  to  double  street  railway  fare  charged  in  annexed 
territory. 

Requiring  theaters,  etc.,  to  be  licensed. 

Ordinance  forbidding' young  girls  to  be  in  or  near  saloons. 

To  prohibit  stalls  in  saloons. 

To  eliminate  word  "exclusive"  from  franchise  of  Gas  Light 
Company. 

To  authorize  city  to  receive  compensation  for  special  privi- 


To  authorize  city  to  establish  slaughter  houses. 
^  To  instruct  City  Attorney  to  recover  bond  of  T.  M.  E.  R. 
L,  Co.,  in  street  springling  matter. 

Relative  to  erecting  plant  for  repair  and  construction  work 
for  Water  Dept.,  Police  Dept.,  Fire  Dept.,  etc. 

To  grand  full  pay  to  patrolmen  of  Police  Department  in- 
cluding "off"  days. 

To  purchase  automobile  ambulance  for  Police  Department. 

To  regulate  sale  and  use  of  fireworks,  firearms,  etc. 

To  extend  free  medical  service,  etc. 

To  create  office  of  Superintendent  of  Fire  and  Police  Alarm 
Systems. 

To  take  steps  for  establishing  municipal  printing  plant. 

To  create  municipal  reference  library,  etc. 

To  arrange  for  festival,  proceeds  to  be  used  to  give  work  to 
unemployed. 

To  compel  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L.  Co.,  to  pave  Twenty- Seventh 
street  between  their  tracks  from  Chestnut  street  to  North 
avenue. 

To  purchase  stone  crusher  for  city. 

To  purchase  porcupine  and  road  scarafier  for  city. 

To  pave  street  car  zone  on  various  streets  and  access  costs 
against  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L.  Co. 

To  prohibit  the  attendance  of  children  at  dances  unaccom- 
panied by  parents  or  guardians. 

To  regulate  lights  in  moving  picture  show  houses. 

To  purchase  stone  quarry. 

To  purchase  sewer  cleaning  machinery. 

To  request  school  board  to  take  action  relative  to  voting  in 
school  houses. 

To  have  budget  exhibit  in  Auditorium. 

To  screen  headlights  on  Interurban  cars. 

To  file  complaint  with  State  Railroad  rate  commission  to 

210 


compel  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L.  Co.,  to  institute  through  street  car 
service  from  Forest  Home  cemetery  to  northern  terminals 
of  Twelfth  street  car  line. 

Relation  to  heating  of  street  cars. 

To  take  steps  to  being  about  double  transfers. 

To  require  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukec^Rallway  Company  to 
sprinkle  between  tracks. 

To  create  Harbor  Commission 

To  build  pontoon  bridge  at  Oneida  street. 

To  appoint  Housing  Commission. 

To  engage  engineers  to  do  preliminary  work  on  plans  for 
Municipal  light  plant. 

To  contract  for  machinery  for  municipal  light  plant. 

To  utilize  steam  at  garbage  plant  for  light  and  power^pur- 
poses. 

Appointing  commission  on  tuberculosis. 

Create  Bureau  of  Education  and  Publication  of  Health  Dept. 

To  use  space  back  of  postofflce  for  play  grounds. 

To  provide  penalties  for  violating  laws  relative  to  doors  in 
public  buildings. 

To  prepare  plans  for  meeting  problem  for  unemployed. 

To  condemn  site  for  fire  boat  engine  house  in  Third  Ward. 

To  authorize  extension  of  time  for  payment  of  taxes. 

To  create  Board  of  Public  Land  Commissioners. 

Prohibit  use  of  drinking  cups. 

To  require  union  label  on  city  bookbinding.  ' 

To  provide  for  license  of  street  car  men. 

Petitioned  Railroad  Rate  Commission  to  lower  gas  rates. 

To  elevate  tracks  on  south'^side. 

To  regulate  T.  M.  E.  R.  &  L.  Co.,  to  transfer  passengers 
on  Twelfth  street  line  across  viaduct  for  single  fare. 
^   >'To  purchase  alarm  box  posts  and  electrical  apparatus  lor 
Police  and  Fire  Alarm  Systems. 

To  appropriate  $600  for  expense  for  Bureau  of  Unemp  oyed 

To  purchase  100  tons  of  coal  for  poor  of  city. 

To    purchase   300    telephones   for    Fire j'and  ^Police    Alarm 
Systems.  ^^^'.^^     ^ -J 

To  appropriate  $265,000  for  the  construction  and  improvp- 
ment  of  flushing  tunnels. 


211 


Direct  Employment — Saving  Thousands 


Certain  stupid  critics  of  the  administration  who  are  not 
bright  enough  to  know  a  good  thing  when  they  see  it  have 
set  up  a  big  hue  and  cry  because  the  Social-Democrats  have 
increased  the  pay  rolls  of  the  city. 

For  the  purpose  of  enlightening  such,  we  present  the 
following  with  the  explanation  that  every  dollar  spent  by 
the  city  on  direct  eiiiployment  brings  a  dollar  onto  a  pay 
roll  that  was  not  there  before,  but  means  a  saving  of  a  pri- 
vate contractor's  profit. 

WORK   DONE   BY  DIRECT   EMPLOYMENT,    1910-11 

Item  1. — By  Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public  Buildings 

Wrecking  old  Oneida  Street  swing  bridge $  954.00 

Oneida  Street  foot  bridge 1,180.00 

Sixteenth  Street  Viaduct  reconstruction   (comple- 
tion)   1,130.00 

Drawing   plans   for   building 2,210.00 

Remodeling   West   Side   Natatorium 579.00 

Oil  Houses    286.00 

Greenfield    sanatorium     218.00 

McKinley  Park   bathhouse 223.00 

Babies'    pavilion 115.00 

Partitions,  eighth  and  ninth  floors,  City  Hall.  .  .  1,700.00 

City    Hall    repairs 1,110.00 

Comfort  station    110.00 

Cement  work,  First  Avenue  bridge 76.00 

Painting   Sixteenth    Street   viaduct 5,819.00 

Sixteenth   Street  viaduct  side  approach 2,882.00 

Municipal    storage    building 24  6.00 

South   Side   natatorium    (painting) 71.00 

South    Shore   bathouse    (construction) 24.00 

Isolation    hospital  -, 43.00 

Scale   house    (refuse   incinerator 50.00 

Locker  building   (refuse  incinerator) 18.00 

Power    house     (refuse    incinerator) 19.00 

Armory   building 25.00 

City    scales,    Third    Ward .  37.00 

Juneau   Park    fountain 3.00 

South    Side   police    station 5.00 

Old    garbage    plant 30.00 

Grand  Avenue  bridge    (floor  system) 2,000.00 

Grand  Avenue  bridge   (accidents) 560.00 

Broadway   bridge    (ironwork) 325.00 

212 


West  Water  Street  bridge  (ironwork) 475.00 

State  Street  bridge    (fenders) 325.00 

Chestnut  Street  bridge    (fenders) 525.00 

First  Avenue  bascule  bridge   (shaft) 400.00 

Twenty-seventh  Street  viaduct   (concrete  work)  .  410.00 

Highland    Boulevard     (llightingO 15.00 

Chicago   Avenue   bridge    (construction) 96.00 

Fourth  and  Fifth  Avenue  bridges   (construction)  24.00 

Budget   Exhibit    387.00 

Total $24,705.00 

Item  2. — By  Bureau  of  Street  Sanitation  and  Repair. 

Cost  of  labor  in  resurfacing  67,014  yards  of  pene- 
tration  macadam    streets $14,707.78 

Service  transfer  vouchers  for  work  done  by  Bu- 
reau of  Streets-Sanitation  for  other   depts.  .      3,407.00 

Construction   of    ward   sheds 62  0.0  7 

Repair  of  garbage  wagons 219.60 

Repair  of  oil  stations 5  6.00 

Cost  of  crushing  and  delivering  2,917  cubic  yards 

of  crushed  rock ; 2,269.19 

Total $21,279.64 

Grand  total  of  all  work  done  by  direct  employ- 
ment in  these  two  departments,  which  in- 
creased the  pay  rolls  to  that  amountt $45,984.64 

In  addition  to  the  above  the  Common  Council  author- 
ized the  employment  of  additional  bridgetenders  on  the 
Chestnut,  Cherry  and  State  Street  bridges,  and  an  addi- 
tional bridge  sweeper  on  the  Sixteenth  Street  viaduct,  which 
amounted  to  $2,430  more;  and  during  the  construction  of 
the  Michigan  Street  bridge  in  1910  no  bridgetenders  were 
employed,  while  such  tenders  were  employed  during  the 
entire  year  1911,  which  accounts  for  $2,30  0  more. 


Same  Out  in  Nebraska 

"More  municipal  improvements  have  been 
made  in  Wymore  in  the  last  year  than  in 
twenty  years  before." — City  Engineer  of  Wy- 
more, Neb.  (non-Socialist),  in  an  address  before 
the  Municipal  League  at  Omaha. 

Keep  the  page  clean — vote  the  Social-Demo- 
cratic ticket. 

213 


INTERNATIONAL  SOCIALISM 

Described  in  the  American  Review  of  Reviews  as  the 
Greatest  and  Most  Constructive  Political  Movement 
of  Human  History 

[From  an  article  by  George  AUan  England,  published 
May,  1908.] 

**  Their  program  was  big  with  the  plans  of  a  social 
democracy  so  vast  that  it  outshadows  any  other  idea  or 
movement  whatsoever  recorded  in  history.  National 
revolutions  have  been  without  number,  but  never  until 
the  rise  of  International  Socialism  has  revolution  as- 
sumed a  universal  character.  Never  before  has  a  whole 
social  class,  irrespective  of  race,  creed  or  color,  united 
in  the  determination  to  throw  off  industrial  and  politi- 
cal servitude,  ilhus,  these  congresses,  which  in  a  way 
sum  up  the  forward  movement  of  Socialism,  embody 
'something  new  under  the  sun'— the  complete  and  per- 
manent emancipation  of  labor. 

*  *         * 

A  Constructive  Program 

''The  whole  character  of  the  discussion  was  con- 
structive, for  the  betterment  of  the  world's  workers, 
and,  through  them,  of  the  world  as  a  whole.  It  re- 
affirmed the  fundamental  Socialist  determination  to 
put  an  end  to  class  rule,  exploitation,  poverty,  crime, 
and  war,  and  to  establish  in  their  place  actual  democ- 
racy, political  and  economic,  collective  ownership  of 
the  sources  of  the  world's  life,  and  lasting  peace 
through  the  abolition  of  capitalistic  struggles  for 
world-markets.  It  reaffirmed  the  community  of  inter- 
ests between  the  workers  of  all  lands ;  it  reaffirmed  the 
right  of  men  to  live  and  think  and  work  without  pay- 
ing tribute  to  the  possessing  but  non-producing  classes. 
And  in  all  its  reaffirmations  it  had  at  its  back  the 

'Aye!'  of  30,000,000  human  beings. 

#  «         # 

A  Mighty  Force 
"First  of  all,  the  fact  should  be  made  quite  clear 
214 


that  the  Socialist  party  is  far-and-away  the  largest 
[)olitical  unit,  not. only  of  today  but  of  any  time.  To 
the  uninformed  who  conceive  of  Socialists  as  a  rather 
obscure  and  fantastic  set  of  Utopians— of  'dreamers'— 
the  discovery  must  come  as  something  of  a  shock  that 
the  world's  Socialist  vote  now  stands  more  than 
10,500,000,  representing  about  30,000,000  adult  So- 
cialists. This  latter  number  includes,  of  course, 
women  and  disfranchised  persons,  who  in  the  Socialist 
concept  of  government,  in  the  'state  within  a  state' 
which  Socialism  is  building  up,  enjoy  equal  rights  with 
present  voters.  There  is  something  peculiarly  discon- 
certing to  the  present  governments  of,  by,  and  for  plu- 
tocracy in  those  30,000,000  of  'dreamers,'  all  so  active 
in  propaganda,  all  so  terribly  in  earnest. 

Steady,  Progressive  Growth 

"Socialism  presents  few  spectacular  features  in  its 
development.  There  is  nothing  in  it  of  the  mushroom 
quality  which  distinguished  our  own  Single  Tax  and 
Populist  movements  with  their  sudden  up-springing, 
their  large  vote  immediately  obtained,  and  their  quick 
disintegration.  The  Socialist  movement  grows  with 
comparative  steadiness,  and  never  on  the  whole  loses 
any  ground  once  gained. 

"Those  who  regard  with  indifference,  with  scorn 
perhaps,  the  struggle  of  the  workers  all  over  the  world 
to  emancipate  themselves  from  political  and  industrial 
servitude;  those  who  think  the  members  of  that  class 
incapable  of  managing  industry  and  government  in 
their  own  interests ;  those  who  still  in  some  manner 
look  down  upon  the  proletariat  as  by  nature  a  race  of 
inferiors,  must  pause  and  reflect  in  face  of  such  an 
organization  as  that  of  the  Social-Democracy.  For 
here  in  tangible  form  stands  a  body  conceived,  organ- 
ized, brought  into  being  not  only  through  the  workers' 
own  unaided  efforts,  but  also  despite  of  the  most 
persistent,  far-reaching,  and  unscrupulous  opposition 
that  the  world's  ruling  classes  have  been  able  to  de- 
vise. ' ' 

2IS 


OiOOO'^OOOOO'^OOOCOOOOOOOOOOCOt- 

T-iO'*aiOt-asoo'>#ooo'*ooooooooococo 

MOiOOSOOCgi-lOOOOOOOt-OOOOOOOOOiHOO 
^  OO  O  -tH  oT  o"  -rH  C<r  O  O  ■M  o"  t-"  O  lo"  Lo"  0~  lO  O  CD  CQ  CD  00  ^jT  CO  (m" 

^co<^q•<*lCDoc<^'«t^coc<^T^OI:^t^-co^oococo<^Q<^aTH 

(rQTHO^C<I-*COfOOOCOCO 


OOOOrt<  -OOO 

000005  .000 

CO  o  o  o  o  Ti<  .000 

^OLOO-<*<CO  *ooo 

~:tHO00<X>C<1  'OtHO 

OOOC-^C^I  '  T-t  CO 


0000 
0000 
0000 

CO  O  OOO' 
10  l>-  CO  CO 


o-o 
o  o 
o  o 

O  CO 
tH  C<1 


^       00000  .0 

;<       00000  .0 

Mt-00000  -o 

C5  ^  t-^  o"  o  t>-*~  10  '  iO 
CQ  '"'  th  t-  t-  '^ 


0000 
0000 
0000 

c^"  o"  co"  t-" 

CO  ^   rH 


o 
o 
o 

'^ 

r-i 


t-i  00  .00 

Q  00  •  O  O 

J^  (M  O  O  •  O  O 

Cj  ■2j  t^  "^  <M  CO 

K  00  ^  I  CO 


0 

0 
0^ 

.  0  0 

.  0  0 

•  o_^o^ 

■  o'cTi" 
.  C<J  CO 

•  CO  0 

•  (M  0 
■  ^  '^^ 

'.          ^ 

Si 

00 

t-  0  0 

00  0  0 

02  c^ 

00 

CO  t- 

«^ 

HEH 

^^ 

0 

0     . 

w 

t-  0    • 
c-  0    • 

00 

CO 

05     • 

0 
0 
0 

•.0 

•  0 

•  0 

000 
000 
o  o  10 

00"  C^"  tH 


qS 


rnCC.^^  [si       •   '^   ^   ^  >.C 


bC+^ 


bJO 


X  r  in 


^ ^ll--'Sli>^ 

^  C2  Q  02  ffi  Z  ffi  <1  CQ  CO  M  a  P^  J  02  O 
216 


"/o  o  lo  es  o  oo  M  05  <M 


lO  lO  -*  O  cr 


\0  (M   tH  t-  r-l 
CO  <M 


:.^0  Oi  1^3  tH  -^ti       •  >0 
JJtIO  ?0  (M  -* 


■g^ 


Oo  c~-  ini  i>-  CO     -00       o 


C-  t-  lO 

tH   rH  M 


CO  rH  O 
T-1  t^  00 


o 
o 

Ph 

oS 

Eh  02 
00 


iTscSCOOOlOcMOD-       -OO       -O       -LOO  •       •       -O  •       •-<*<       •       •       • 

oS2^  eg  c^  00  CO  -*  o     •  o  lo     •  T-H     •  c^"  OS  -     '•     "  (rq  I     '  m     "     '     ■ 

a>^  «C^   rHC^QCsl           CO               -C^C-       -(^^       •   -r-i  -r-i  •       •       'i-l  •       -i-l       •       •       • 

S 

«UflS<X>0^^iO          ?DI>-Oas<OOOc^cv5T-l  -OOOIlO  00       -rHCO 

O-iOjj....               • .... 

|^Ol:~C<10000^^00'*lOCMi-li-i^OO  -O^iXJOcrq       .T-HOO 

CCWC^   rHMi-ICO'^tr-TH'^^T-H  •  -tH 


0t>*"^lOC0COlOOO00OO-^t-O00       •OrHO'^t-COLOO-* 

-jjOi  ooc^cr>coc-i>-oooooT-i«ooc<i     •cqccoooooTHi::^,-!- 

^CO  IO'^tHcO  "XJC^LO  LOtHtHtHtH       -i-IC^OqTtiT-li-l  T-IC<1 


'^  a  re'o  lOt-OiHtOkOOlOOO'^CKIt^O       -i-IOOlOOCOOlOT-IO 

«RSi-it^-oooo       c<^'*oo(^:^l:£>lX>(^q  th-  tH 


EH 


lis- 

03 

^®SOrHOt-OLOO 

5PM 


O  Tf  o  o  o 


ooooooooo 


a>OoO'*iOO^OO'*OOOCOOOOOOOOOoCOt-  I     -^ 

^      (MO-rt^OiOC-OlOO'^OOO'^OOOcOOOOOo'^'"^  c^ 

■^^'^'^a5OOC^THOO00OOO'>^OOOOOOOOoT-l00  I     ■* 

"3  o  O  ^  th"  oT  o  th  (^q  o  o  T-H  o  t-  o  ^  LO  o"  lo  o  co"  CO  CD  oo"  T^"  oo  c<i  (N 

o>-  to<^^T^^S£)Oc^^'st^cocqTHOl>-l^-'»^oocococ^c>qr^  o: 

«2(MtHo^C<J'*COCOCOCOCO  ^ 


ooooooooooooooooooo     -ooo 


sod 


."^3     .     .     . 


bJD 


d  -a 

el 


217 


The  Rising  Tide  of  Social-Democracy 
in  Milwaukee 


Year. 

Vote. 

Wards 
Carried. 

At-Large. 

Total        1         Total 
Socialist  Aid.  i  Membership 
Elected.      1  of  Council. 

1898. ;.. 

1900 

1902 

IQ04 

2,414 

1,473 

8,453 

15,056 

20,887 
27,622 

0 
0 
0 

t 

8 
14 

0                      46 

0              46 
0                46 
9               46 

'0*             46 

9*             35* 

21               1            or 

1906  . 

IQ08 

I 

7 

IQIO 

1       35 

1 

^Legislature  introduces  i2Ald.-at-large  and  i  from  each  ward. 


How  the  Vote  Went  in  1910 

Ward.       Schoenecker.    BefCel.  Seidel.    Total  Vote. 

1 744  525  369  1,638 

2 680  291  760  1,731 

3 938  66  226  1,230 

4 1,020  387  515  1,922 

5 705  245  964  1,914 

6 '967  394  1,084  2,445 

7 500  468  367  1,335 

8 580  480  853   •  1,913 

9 925  357  1,643  2,925 

10 791  478  1,811  3,080 

11 994  447  2,272  3,713 

12 660  229  1,218  2,107 

]3 1,221  586  1,589  3,396 

14 1,543  276  1,688  3,507 

15 1,069  957  1,045  3,071 

16 964  986  465  2,415 

17 558  653  1,320  2,531 

18 1,527  943  724  3,194 

19 1,018  480  1,260  2,758 

20 849  543  2,738  4,130 

21 745  420  2,005  3,170 

22 893  588  1,606  3,087 

23 639  547  1,086  2,272 


Regis'tion. 
2,345 
2,823 
1,972 
4,008 
2,777 
3,190 
2,507 
2,795 
4,134 
4,547 
5,072 
3,073 
4,514 
4,818 
4,573 
4,199 
3,227 
4,894 
3,658 
5,274 
4,347 
4,188 
3,239 


Total   20,530    11,346    27,608    59,484*   86,174 


*The  total  vote  cast  equalled  70  per  cent  of  the  registration. 

2l8 


INDEX 

Accounting — Scientific   introduced    53 

Aldermen-at-large — Candidates 22-29 

Anti-tuberculosis — campaign : 203 

By  Health   Department 83 

Ashes — collection  of 104 

Ashland  Daily  Press  on  Milwaukee  Administration.  26 

Asphalt  repair  plant 136 

Assessments,  discrepancies  in  last  year's 169-174 

Attorney's   Department    64-68 

Baptist  "Young  People"  on  Social-Democratic  Ad- 
ministration   180 

Beale,  Rev.  C.  H. — on  the  administration 2  4 

Berner,     Edmund    J. — Social-Democratic   candidate 

for  alderman-at-large 22 

Binder  course — in  asphalt  paving — eliminated.  ...  98-99 

Braun,   Otto — candidate  for   alderman-at-large.  ...  29 

Bridges  and  buildings — Bureau 87,  91,  129,  131 

Brooks,  Prof.  John  Graham — on  Milwaukee  Admin- 
istration  19,  47 

Budget  introduced — a  scientific  budget 53 

Building  Inspector's  Department 127 

Bureau  of  Efficiency  and  Economy 40,  183-185 

Business  methods  introduced.  .  .88-90,  53-63,  48-52,  llOff 

Calgary — municipal 191 

Candidates — Social-Democratic 18-31 

Capital  and  Labor — Dooley  on 202 

Capital  not  driven  from  city 157-8 

Chicago   Inter   Ocean — commendations 22 

Children  of  the  Poor,  The — poem 20 

Child  labor    84 

Child  welfare  work 182 

Circuit  Court,  clerk  of 147 

City  Attorney's  Department 64 

City  Clerk's  Department — reorganization  and  im- 
provements   48-52 

City  Engineer's   Department 138-141 

City,  Great  and  Strong,  The — poem 2 

City  Hall 132 

City  planning 194-199;  also  45-12 

Civil  service    41 

Clerk  of  Circuit  Court 147 

Comfort  Station    132 

Commendations  of  the  Social-Democratic  Adminis- 
tration— Rev.  Frederick  Edwards,  102;  Daily 
News,    25;    Evening    Wisconsin,    30,    203;    Free 

2IQ 


Press,  27;  Prof.  John  Graham  Brooks,  19,  47; 
Prof.  Charles  Zueblin,  inside  front  cover;  Fi- 
nancial Journal,  68;  Chicago  Inter  Ocean,  22; 
Journal,  28,  90;  former  President  Eliot  of  Har- 
vard, 23;  Kansas  City  Star,  38;  Federation  of 
Civic  Societies,  29;  Rev.  C.  H.  Beale,  24;  W.  F. 
Greenman,  31;  Ashland  Daily  Press,  26;  Baptist 

"Young  People,"  180;  Andrew  Gallagher 163 

Commercial  and  industrial  progress  in  Milwaukee .  5 

Community  values    199 

Comptroller's  Department 53-63 

Contract    work — poor 108-9 

Coroner 145-6 

Council — record    of    207-211 

County  Board  of  Supervisors,  142-150;   work  of,  9; 

Candidates 31 

County    Clerk    .  . : 144 

County — Milwaukee   candidates    31 

Credit  of  city  not  ruined 157 

Criticisms   of    the   administration   briefly   answered, 

157-161;  lie  by  Rose,  2  00;   ridiculus  criticisms.      161-3 
Cross  town  lines   (under  planning 

Daily  News  on  the  Social-Democratic  administration  25 

Departments   at  work — -review  by  Seidel 39-4  7 

Dietz,  Carl  P,  Comptroller — Social-Democratic  can- 
didate   for    re-election 20 

Direct  employment,  13-3  5;  why  we  favor  direct  em- 
ployment instead  of  contract  system,  .201;  in 
public  buildings  and  bridges,  135;  asphalt  repair 

plant,  136;  work  done  by  in  1910 11,  212-13 

District  Attorney    149 

Dooley  on  Capital  and  Labor 202 

Edwards,    Rev,    Frederick — commendation 102 

Efficiency    and    Economy — Bureau    of,    183-5;    also 

40;   in  Milwaukee  municipal  government 7 

Eight-hour  day 8,   9,   164-167 

Eliot,  former  President  of  Harvard — commendation  23 

Engineers',   Stationary,   Board  of  Examiners 126 

Evening  Wisconsin  on  the  Social-Democratic  Ad- 
ministration   203 

Expenditures  increased — in  what  way§ 160 

Extravagant    administration — not     160 

Factory  inspection    . 77 

Federation  of   Civic    Societies — commendations.  ...  29 

Finances — city 11 

Financial  Journal  on  Milwaukee  administration...  68 

Food   inspection    81 

220 


Free  Employment  Bureau 204 

Free  Press  on  the  Social-Democratic  administration  2  7 

Garbage — collection,  105;   incinerator  plant 105 

Gallagher,  Andrew — labor  leader  of  San  Francisco.  163 

Gambling  and  vice 44 

Gaylord,   Winfield   R. — Social-Democratic   candidate 

for  alderman-at-large 23 

Good  men  in  office  not  dismissed  by  Socialists 159 

Gorecki,    Martin — Social-Democratic    candidate    for 

alderman-at-large 24 

Grade  crossings 13 

Greenman,  Rev.  Walter  F. — on  the  administration.  31 

Guaranty  in  asphalt  paving  eliminated 98,  99 

Health  Department    13;  75-86 

Home  Rule    10 

Homes  for  the  people — better 12;  194-6 

Honest  municipal   government 7 

Hours  of  labor  reduced 8,  164-167,  207-211 

Incinerator   plant    105 

Indianapolis  Star — quoted back  cover,  outside 

Instructions  to  voters 186-88 

International   Socialism    214-217 

Introductory — To   you,   Mr.   Voter,   and  to   you,   the 

People  of  Milwaukee 6 

Inventory  of  city's  property 55 

Isolation  hospital — new •.  ,  .  84 

Issue,  The 32 

Journal — commendation 28 

Kansas    City   Star — commendations 38 

Kraft  has   diplomas 158 

Labor  measures 7,  8,  35,   46,   164-167,   207-211 

Labor  conditions  improved 7  7-80,  164-167 

License — street  car  company  compelled  to  pay 64-67 

Lie  about  Socialism — by  Rose 200 

Light    plant — municipal     140 

Markets — public 14 

Melms,  Edmund  T.,  president  of  Common  Council — 
Social-Democratic  candidate  for  alderman-at- 
large  25 

Milk  inspection 81 

Milwaukee  County  Social-Democratic  administra- 
tion  142-150 

Milwaukee — example   in  city   planning 194-99 

Vote  of  Socialist  party  in — since  1898 218 

221 


Population,  area,  assessed  valuation,  etc 4 

Minkley,  Carl — Social-Democratic  candidate  for  al- 

derman-at-large 26 

Model  franchise    189-191 

Municipal  ownership — a  successful  case  of,  63;  why- 
working  class  favor,  201;  why  trade  unions  fa- 
vor,   205;    of  water  works   in   Milwaukee,    114- 

122;    in   England. 141 

Municipal  Reference  Library 206 

Natatoria  and  bath  beaches 131 

Naturalization — who  is  entitled  to  vote 186 

Neighborhood  centers  a  part  of  the  plan — the  City 

Planning  Commission 196 

Non-partisan — fallacy 15 

Obstacles  and  obstructive  tactics — against  adminis- 
tration, 151-156;  charter  difficulties,  151;  re- 
strictive law,  152;  the  courts,  152-3;  of  the  mi- 
nority, 154-5;  heads  of  departments  et  al 155 

Oiling— street 103 

Paving,  95;  closed  specifications  for  asphalt,  95-96; 
Republicans  and  Democrats  who  voted  to  main- 
tain    96 

Pay  rolls  increased  and  why 159-60,  129,  212-13 

Petersen,   Martin — Social-Democratic   candidate   for 

alderman-at-large 28 

Planning,  city 12,   45,   194-199 

Platform — municipal,    Social-Democratic    party.  .  .  .         7-16 

Platform  pledges  kept 7,       33 

Pledges — platform  kept 7,      33 

Police  and  fire  alarm  systems — consolidated 123-25 

Poor  pay  more  taxes 180 

Poems — A  Socialist,  17;  The  City  Strong  and  Great, 

2;  The  Children  of  the  Poor. 20 

Police — ambulance — old  and  new 112-113 

Political  power  of  Socialism,  the  Present 217 

Property,  commercial  and  industrial,  in  Milwaukee  5- 

Public  Works  Department,  87;  also  39;  reorganiza- 
tion of,  8,  87;  business  methods  introduced,  88; 
savings  of,  93;  street  construction,  95-96;  street 
cleaning,  103;  sewer  department,  108;  purchas- 
ing, 110;  water  department,  114;  work  done  by 

direct   employment    212-13 

Purchasing  Department 87,  110,  114 

Purchasing  supplies — county,  14  7;  prices  under  old 

and  new  administrations 147 

Record — Social-Democratic  party   9 

222 


\ 

Recreation    and    relaxation 44 

Referendum   not   repudiated 161 

Register  of   Deeds 144 

Registration,   instructions  concerning 186-88 

Republicans  and  Democrats — voted  for  closed  speci- 
fications       95-96 

Revenues   for  city — through   city   planning,    198-9; 

profits  on  municipal  water  plant 114-117 

Review  of  the  work  of  the  administration — by  Emil 

Seidel,  mayor    39,  47 

Rich  pay  less  taxes 179-181 

River  walk 42 

Rose,  David  S. — He  about  Socialism 200 

Saving — on  asphalt  paving,  95;  purchasing  depart- 
ment, 112-114;  City  Clerk's  Department,  42-52; 
Public  Works,  94;  asphalt  repair  plant,  136;  city 
treasurer,  70-72;  Bureau  of  Bridges  and  Public 

Buildings,   129-131;    county  departments 142-150 

Scarlet    fever — no    epidemic 158 

Seidel,  Emil — Mayor,  18;  review  of  work  of  ad- 
ministration   by    39-47 

Sewerage  Department,  14,  87,  108,  110,  139;  report 

of  commission  not  ignored 159 

Sheriff 148 

Smoke  Inspector's  Department 185 

Social-Democrats — Platform  of,  7-16;  candidates  of, 
18-31;  party  pledges  kept,  33-3  8;  why  Milwau- 
kee sticks  to,  128;  criticisms  of,  157-161;  ob- 
structive tactics  against,  151-156;  vote  of  in  Mil- 
waukee, 1910,  218;  rising  tide  of  in  Milwau- 
kee   218 

Socialist,  A — poem 17 

Socialism — 15;  definitions  of,  74;  international, 
214-217;  lie  about  by  Rose,  200;  present  politi- 
cal power  in  all  nations,  216;  constructive  pro- 
gram, 214;  steady  growth,  215;  rising  tide  of  in 

Milwaukee 218 

Socialist  vote — how  it  has  grown — all  nations 216 

Specifications — for  street  paving  opened 95-99 

Special  privileges   43 

Sprinkling — street  car  company  compelled   to,    64; 

department 103-107 

Steady,    progressive    growth 215 

Stone  crusher — portable 101 

Storage  building — municipal    132 

Street    car — model    franchise.  . 189-191 

Street  car — regulation 64 

Street    cleaning 87-91-103-107 

223 


street  Construction,  8,   87,  91,   94,   95,   101;    binder 

course,    98-99;    guaranty   eliminated 98-9  9 

Streets  improperly  arranged  and  inadequate 195 

Strike— Garment  Workers'    9,   16  4,  10 

Supervisors — the   County  Board   of 142-150 

Sweat  shop    . 84 

Taxation,  11,  16  7-180;  city  attorney  on,  66;  time 
for  paying  taxes  extended,  69;  rate  lower  in 
1911,    168;    discrepancies    in    assessments,    169- 

174;  tax  question  made  plain 174-179 

Taxes    not    increased 157 

Telephone — beginning    of   municipal 124 

Track   elevation    68-133 

Trade   unions — why   favor   public   ownership 205 

Treasurer — city   department    69-74 

Trust    question    14 

Tuberculosis — campaign    against,     203;     by    Health 

Department 83 

Unemployed 204,  35,  46,  9 

Union  labor 8,  9,  35,  164-167,  207-211 

Vice 13 

Vote  of  Socialist  party — all  nations 21^-17 

Voters,  instructions  to 18  f-l  8  8 

\, 

Wages  raised 8,  9,  35,  46,  164-167 

Wages  and  hours  of  labor — -relation  of  city  plan- 
ning to 194 

Ward  aldermen — candidates    30 

Water — cost  of  in  Milwaukee  under  municipal  own- 
ership, 114;  as  compared  to  Racine,  116;  to  Su- 
perior  '. 117 

Water  Department,   the,    114-122;    profits    on,    114; 

general  statistics,   121-2;   water  registrar 122 

Weber,   Prank  J. — Social-Democratic   candidate   for 

alderman-at-large 2  7 

Whitnall,   Charles   B.,   city  treasurer — Sociall-Demo- 

cratic  candidate  for   re-election 21 

Word,  A — to  voter  and  people 6 

Working  class  favors  public  ownership — why 

"Young  People,"  Baptist — on  administration 180 

Zueblin,  Prof.  Charles — commendations,  .inside  front  cover 


224 


Subscribe  for  The 
Milwaukee  Leader 

and  Watch  the  Gigantic  Po- 
litical Struggle  for  Control  of 
Milwaukee 


IN  THE  MILWAUKEE  LEADER  you  will 
also  get  a  nation  wide  view  of  the  national 
campaign  from  now  until  November  and  full 
details  of  results  after  it  is  over.  C.  The  Mil- 
waukee Leader  is  owned,  controlled  and  edited 
in  the  interest  of  the  toiling  masses,  not  only  of 
Milwaukee,  but  the  nation.  It  is  a  first  class 
up-to-date  metropolitan  newspaper.  C.  The 
Milwaukee  Leader  is  youir  paper — make  the 
greatest  possible  use  of  it.  Get  your  friends  to 
subscribe  for  it. 


Six  Cents  a  week  by  carrier  in  Milwau- 
kee.   By  mail  in  any  part  of  the  United 
States  or  Canada,  $3  per  year. 

The  Milwaukee  Leader 

Brisbane  Hall,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin 


"I  desire  to  be  fair  to  the  Socialist  administratijMn," 
said  the  banker,  "and  therefore  will  state  at  tlf%  verj 
begrinning  that  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the 
city,  Milwaukee  has  an  administration  free  from  graft — 
absolutely  open,  above  board  and  honest  in  every  par- 
ticular. I  may  also  say  that  the  administration  has 
shown  more  intelligence  as  to  municipal  science  than 
any  other  administration  the  city  has  ever  had.  There 
is  an  actual  and  persistent  effort  to  govern  the  city  on 
highly  scientific  lines  and  in  this  regard  the  administra- 
tion has  made  a  deep  impression  on  that  portion  of  the 
community  capable  of  receiving  an  intellectual  impres- 
sion of  that  kind." — A  Milwaukee  banker,  who  wished 
his  name  withheld.     Quoted  from  Indianapolis  Star. 


Tlic  Co  op^n 


6th  6.. 


